If you’re going to be a crazy pet parent, it’s a lot more fun to be crazy about your dog with one of your best friends. Lucky for me, Kelli—one of my oldest (as in years of friendship, not age) friends—is dog mom to Mackey, Hattie’s brother!

After seeing Hattie as a puppy for the first time, I immediately texted Kelli. Knowing that she had been considering getting a Goldendoodle, I thought she needed to know about the precious puppies available in Rensselaer, Indiana.

I was a little afraid that Wes, Kelli’s boyfriend, was going to kill me for sharing this information with Kelli, but luckily, Wes fell in love too, and Mackey became Mackey Taylor.

Mackey is a farm dog.

Have you ever seen a Goldendoodle in a tractor? Mackey is Wes’s right hand on the family farm, but he’s also Kelli’s snuggle buddy.

To see all of Mackey’s adventures, follow him on Instagram.

It’s great to have friends who are also crazy about their dog.

You know how parents get together and say things like, “Sally did the funniest thing the other day”? That’s pretty much what Zach, Kelli, Wes, and I do with our dogs. It’s always fun to see Mackey and Hattie reunited as brother and sister.  

What’s the trick to dog first birthday photos? Bacon!

After taking Hattie’s photos, Mackey arrived to Second Level Studios and was the big barrel of fun that he always is. With so many things to sniff and explore, Mackey wasn’t at all interested in staying still for photos. Well, until Mom got the bacon treats out. That definitely did the trick!

We grabbed photos of Mackey by himself and also got a few family shots in. Then, we let Mackey dig into his cake from Simon & Halle’s Pet Boutique. We had hoped to get photos of Mackey and Hattie together, but that just wasn’t possible.

I’m thankful Kelli (who by the way is also Luminant’s hairstylist) and Wes were willing to do this crazy, comical session with us. You can call us crazy for doing first birthday dog photos, but we’re all about to have some pretty cute canvases on our walls. Happy first birthday, Mackey and Hattie!

Thank you for checking out the blog! Luminant Photography is a Lafayette, Indiana photographer who offers family, child, maternity, newborn, senior, and engagement photos. Contact Luminant with questions or to book a session!