This portrait session features Amelia (mom) and Okra (fur baby) in celebration of their first Christmas season, as well as, Okra’s 1st birthday!

Q&A’s with Amelia:

Briefly introduce each member of your family and list 3 fun facts about each person.    

Amelia is the “mommy.” She is a civil rights attorney who sometimes wishes she could be a stay-at-home dog mom. Amelia has lived all over the place (and is not in the military): New Jersey, California, Italy, Michigan, and, of course, Mississippi. She loves to cook and bake.

Okra is the “baby.” She is a mini goldendoodle. Okra’s middle name is Noel because she was born the day after Christmas. She is extremely smart; for example, every time we go to Starbucks, she starts to beg for a puppuccino (whipped cream in a cup). If we are going through the drive through and the baristas hear her crying, they always give her a puppuccino (even if mom didn’t order one for her), probably because she’s so cute.

What’s ONE word that best describes each personality?              

Amelia: witty

Okra: spunky

What’s your favorite family activity?     

We love to walk together on the beach, particularly Front Beach in Ocean Springs.

What’s a typical weekend consist of for your family?    

Going for a long walk, playing fetch, and taking naps.

Do you have a family ritual or tradition? If so, what is it?             

We love to watch The Bachelor every Monday night. Okra has taken to barking at some of the contestants; she’s a great judge of character.

Have you taken a family vacation? If so, what’s your favorite memory from that vacation?

The only “family vacation” we’ve taken so far is going to the dog beach in Pensacola for a long weekend. The best part of that weekend was watching Okra have the time of her life playing with other dogs, digging holes in the sand, and running away from the waves.

What’s your greatest “family goal”?      

Our greatest family goal is getting Okra certified to be a therapy dog so that we can be a therapy dog team and go to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc. to spread joy and happiness to others.

How old is Okra?

10 months

When is her birthday?  

December 26, 2018.

What is her favorite food?         

Cheese (all kinds: cheddar, cream cheese, mozzarella), bison rawhides, and vanilla ice cream.

What is her favorite activity or thing to do?       

Okra loves to take walks on the beach, dig massive holes in the yard (my personal favorite–not!), nap, and play with her best friend, Wally.

Who is her favorite person?      

Her mom of course!

Does she have a favorite stuffed animal, toy, blanket, etc.?       

Okra has a lot of favorite toys, but consistently one of her favorites is a stuffed toy that looks like a can of LaCroix sparkling water. It’s called “Lick Croix” and she has it in the “Pamplemutt” flavor. I paid way too much money for it at a fancy home store in Seaside, FL when I was there for my birthday weekend. It was money well spent, however, because Okra still loves it three months later! And it’s also hilarious to see her running around the house with a fake LaCroix can in her mouth.

Briefly describe Okra’s personality.        

Okra is the sweetest little dog. She has the best temperament: loves everyone she meets, is smart and easy to train, and is up for anything. Okra is just as content to snuggle on the couch as she is to go for a long walk outside. She definitely can be a handful at times (which is know is going to be obvious from some of her pictures), but she is so cute and sweet that I can’t get mad at her!

List 3 fun facts about Okra that you haven’t already mentioned.             

1. Okra is an aspiring therapy dog. She passed all of her basic obedience classes and is getting ready to take her Canine Good Citizen test next. Once she passes that, she will begin training to be a therapy dog so that we can go to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to provide comfort and affection to people in those places.

2. Okra went viral on Dogspotting, the Facebook group devoted to taking pictures of dogs. Her photo was taken on Front Beach in Ocean Springs, posted to Dogspotting, and it got almost 13,000 likes! She has also been featured on Coastal Mississippi’s Instagram; that post got over 18,000 likes.

3. Okra loves to steal shoes. She has never destroyed a shoe–even when she was a teething puppy–but she loves carrying them around the house and then hiding them in a weird location. I have been late to work more than once because I can’t find a shoe that Okra hid.