A Petco Santa photo. Three English bulldogs. None of them looking at the same time. David and Allen walked away with…a memory, let’s say, to put it nicely.
So David reached out to me, a little nervous, a little hopeful, and very upfront: “They are sweet, but difficult to photograph as a trio.”
I appreciated the warning. I also wasn’t worried for a single second. Multi-dog families are kind of my thing, and three bulldogs with big personalities? That’s not a problem. That’s a freaking party!
David had one vision for their session location: the iconic red doors on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus in Oakland. We headed there in March, and I’d say it was the perfect call. The color, the architecture, the character…it was a natural fit for three dogs with just as much of their own.
Southern Names, Pittsburgh Backdrop
Meet the crew: Sibley (6), Arlo (3), and Kirilee (around 7 months), all named, as David explained, based on southern family history. That detail alone tells you everything you need to know about how loved these dogs are.
Here’s what else you need to know about them: they are, in David’s words, “extremely, ridiculously friendly.” They are also high energy, and they absolutely wrestle each other in what he described as “a very rough and tumble way.” So yes—three bulldogs, full circus mode, all the personality in the world. David told me he most loves their sweetness and their willfulness (a combo that will never not be hilarious in a bulldog), and more than anything, he just wanted one great, spontaneous, fun portrait of all three of them together.
We got it. And definitely more than one!
This Is Why You Bring Backup
One thing that makes multi-dog sessions run as smoothly as they do? Extra hands.
My husband Mike came along to assist with dog handling. You could say he’s gotten pretty incredible at it after years of being “voluntold” into the role. David specifically mentioned how great Mike was at getting Sibley, Arlo, and Kirilee positioned exactly where they needed to be, which, if you’ve ever tried to wrangle three high-energy bulldogs simultaneously, you know is no small feat. Kirilee here was clearly a superfan!
If you’re booking a multi-dog session, know that requiring additional support is standard practice for me. More dogs means more help on set, and that’s not a variable I leave to chance. It’s part of why these sessions work. (And why they include free belly rubs!)
About Their Order (Yes, This One’s Different)
Now, a note on their order because this one’s a little different, and transparency is kind of my thing. (In other words, this is not the norm. This is the exception. Just want to be clear on that.)
It is extremely rare that I don’t handle the full framing process for wall art. Like, almost never. My clients trust me with that for a reason, and it’s a cornerstone of the Bark & Gold experience. But David and Allen have a favorite local framer they’ve worked with for years, and they wanted to go that route, so we made it work. I printed their stunning portrait of all three that will be prepared for their wall, and they took it to their framer directly.
Beyond the wall portrait, they chose my bronze collection, which included their wall art piece and six matted gift prints, giving them seven of their favorite images total, a beautiful mix of individuals and group shots.
Your Dogs Deserve Better Than a Pet Store Santa, Too
If David and Allen walked away with a stunning wall portrait of three high-energy bulldogs after years of chaos and one very unfortunate Santa experience, there is absolutely hope for your pack, too. Multi-dog sessions are one of my favorite things to do, and not in a “I say that about everything” way. I mean it in a “I have literally built my entire approach around making these work” way. The extra hands, the location scouting, the patience for the disorder, the knowing when to just let them be wild and wonderful and capture that instead. It’s all deliberate, and it’s all part of what you get when you book with Bark & Gold.
Here’s the thing about your dogs: they’re not going to be this age forever. Kirilee was seven months old at this session. In a year, she’ll be a completely different dog. Sibley and Arlo aren’t slowing down yet, but one day they will. The version of yours that exists right now—the wrestling, the willfulness, the sweetness—that’s worth documenting, and not with a rushed makeshift store-studio photo or a blurry iPhone shot, but with real portraits that you’ll actually want on your wall.
Your dogs don’t have to be perfectly trained or camera-ready. They just have to show up. I’ll handle the rest—Mike will too, apparently.
Bark & Gold Photography is designed for real dogs with real personalities. If your dogs deserve portraits that actually look like them…like the ridiculous, extraordinary, full-of-personality creatures they are, let’s make it happen. As always, choose your own adventure to get started.