When Alex got ahold of me about a Celebration Session for her nearly 13-year-old German Shephard, I immediately felt drawn to them when Alex mentioned that Tillie was currently using a wheelchair. Since I have a wheelchair doggy myself, I immediately empathized with the love and patience I knew Alex had for Tillie.

We had a wonderful, candid, and journalistic-style session at Alex’s home. Tillie is absolutely beautiful with her all white fur. And she was a huge sweetheart and never seemed to mind when I took a moment to pet her instead of take a photo. Alex really wanted to capture the day-to-day life with Tillie, especially with her disability in addition to my standard portrait-like shots. I really love how they turned out and I am very honored Alex trusted me with these photos of her baby, Tillie.

Alex was also kind enough to provide some fun facts about Tillie that I am absolutely delighted to share with y’all!

  • An Arkansas native, she was a wanderer with her mom; they moved 16 times together until we bought our house in Austin, TX. 
  • She’s lived in Arkansas, Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma, traveled 13 states, most notably to the Grand Canyon, Moab, and Cannon Beach, Oregon.
  • She was a water dog and loved nothing more than chasing a ball.
  • She trained for search and rescue for a short period where she showed promise but decided she didn’t need to work for treats. Instead she spent training time barking at the other dogs for playing until her mom decided she was better off at home. 
  • She’s better known among friends for eating underwear, trashing hotel rooms, climbing through windows and stealing tomatoes.
  • In her old age, she developed a neurological condition that limited her ability to control her rear legs. While it slowed her down, she never stopped scouring the kitchen for crumbs/food or demanding walks.
  • She has her own Instagram account.
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