Photography of Alicia's dog Sophie a corgi cross german shepard
In 2025 I said good bye to my pet dog Chilli after more than fifteen years together. One of the things I regret the most was not getting more photos taken of us together doing the things we enjoyed.
So I decided to create a new dog photography service to help other dog owners not make the same mistake that I did.
Yes everyone has lots of photos of their dog, but nearly every person I speak to doesn’t really have photos with their dog.
I met Alicia and Steve through the Epping local Facebook Group after I reached out to the community for volunteers to have test photos taken with their pet.
Just like my dog Chilli, Sophie is a rescue dog who was about to be put down. It’s funny how the universe works, Alicia saved Sophie. Together with her husband Steve they did a 10 hour road trip to bring Sophie home.
Sophie is their first ‘family dog’ and they have had her for four years, she has become entwined in their lives and grown up with their children.
The photos I took were a mixture of family portraits, close ups of Sophie together with Alicia and some playful running shots as well.
Read below what Sophie means to this family.
What has owning a Corgi cross German Shepard meant to Alicia's life?
Sophie is now approximately six years old and, as mentioned earlier, has been with Alicia’s family for around four years now. Sophie is their first family dog but they have never had professional photos taken together.
The story of how Sophie came into their lives is quite unique. Sophie showed up in an advertisement for the Wagga Wagga dog pound on Alicia’s Facebook page. At the time of our enquiry she had only a 24hr grace period before she was scheduled to be euthanised. For Alicia it was a phone conversation she couldn’t ignore. After finding out about Sophie she paid for her over the phone and saved the dog from an untimely death.
Alicia’s husband Steve then got into the car to go and pick Sophie up from Wagga Wagga. Steve arrived into Wagga around four hours later, picked Sophie up and then drove back to Sydney, a ten hour return road trip to save a dog from a certain death.
Since then Sophie has been amazing to live with, no health issues, no behavioural issues, in Alicia’s words
“…she is text book perfect, how any one could have dumped her I’ll never know…”
I can relate to this as well, because when PAWS brought Chilli to my house for a trial visit we immediately clicked and he had such a gentle, fun personality even after a week with him I couldn’t understand how he had been given up for adoption.
Many people say that dogs are quite aware of their circumstances so they realise they are getting a second chance in life. Yesterday’s photo shoot with Sophie proved that beyond doubt with lots of birds around, other dogs, young kids playing and so many other distractions including the camera in her face, she didn’t bark once, her tail was wagging and she was at ease.
For Alicia, Sophie has impacted her life by bringing immense joy and love into her home. As her three boys are now growing up, Alicia is the stay at home mother, so Sophie has been her beautiful friend day and night. She never leaves Alicia’s side, forever her shadow. This includes their daily routine of big walks, coffee stops and siestas, as Alicia describes,
“…she is the most perfect little girl…”
So what does this dog mean to her family. Well the moment she placed her little paws into their home she has bought immense happiness and purpose. She is calm, content, relaxed.
Her family just adores her, the thought of one day not having her by our side is a moment they all dread. She is a pure delight, a wonderful companion, cheap therapy and most importantly a beautiful warm light in their home.
They love her dearly and you can see that in the way they all interact and engaged with her during the photo shoot.
If you are wondering what a Corgi German Shepherd mix is, well it is the result of breeding a Corgi with a German Shepherd. Also known as the Corman Shepherd, it’s a popular crossbreed because it takes the best traits from the parent breeds.
Many say that this combination intelligent and has high energy levels, two key traits it inherited from the Corgi and German Shepherd. Both breeds were originally bred for herding and working alongside humans. In this particular mix, its inherent intelligence translates to easily learning new skills during housetraining, obedience training, and even socialisation classes.
Sophie was quite attentive during the photo shoot and then burst into life when we did the running photos, an absolute ball of energy.
Black and white photos of George with his Rough Collie named Charlie
Sophie was incredibly patient and calm during the photo session, keeping quite composed the whole time. Alicia has lots of selfies and other photos of Sophie and her family but didn’t have any professional photos taken.
So hiring a photographer or a 3rd person to take photos can compliment what you capture with your phone, you get to see a different perspective and the opportunity to be in the photos with your dog enjoying their company can create some really nice photos to remember.
What did Alicia think of the photos I took?
“Oh my goodness!! These are INCREDIBLE!!!
I could buy the whole album.
You did a wonderful job capturing photos of the moment, a true talent!”
In memory of Chilli
This photography service was created in 2025 in memory of Chilli. Chilli was a rescue dog who spent just over fifteen years with me becoming my companion, best friend and someone I will miss dearly.
He enjoyed a great life and was a constant in my life through thick and thin, lived in many different places and even spent some time on the road experiencing van life. A Maltese Shih Tzu who looked like a teddy bear when his fur was long and a Dalmation when he was clipped short.
He is the reason that I now provide pet photography for dogs in Sydney either at your home, a local park or your chosen location. For senior pets I also offer end of life pet photography sessions as I will always regret not getting more photos taken with him and I together.
