Photographer’s Joy Sessions Offer Lasting Memories Of Furry Family M

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
When our pets pass, the time we spent with them never seems long enough. Our only things left are the memories and any pictures we may have of our time together. One talented photographer created a network of photographers who offer pet owners the opportunity to capture last moments together, and the Joy Session work is just beautiful.


When our 12-year-old Golden Retriever passed away last year, we knew it was coming. She’d been diagnosed with Lymphoma, and as we shared that we’d made the appointment we never wanted to make, a good friend who was also a photographer offered to come and get family pictures before she passed. Those pictures are priceless, and remain some of our most precious possessions as we fondly remember and miss our sweet girl.

Related: How To Prepare For Your Dog’s Journey Across The Rainbow Bridge


And that’s what the photographers of the Joy Session Network do. The Joy Session Network is the brainchild of talented photographer Sarah Beth Ernhart. She is a pet lover herself, and a fantastic pet photographer as well. She’s captured the relationship between humans and their furry family members for years, and several years ago, was touched by the relationship of one pair she photographed.


In December of 2009, she met with a terminally ill woman named Joan and her faithful service lab, Joy. The exuberance for life and love the pair had shown in the pictures Sarah took, and she says she was overcome with how devoted the pair was to each other and to living life to the fullest–with joy.

Sarah said that Joan was in her last days, and that she was looking forward to the pictures Sarah would give her as a last preservation of the bond between Joy and Joan. Sarah says that Joan taught her that her work with pets and people was meaningful, and a talent she could offer to others who would inevitably have to navigate life without their best friends.


Related: Study: Pet Parents Believe All Dogs Go To Heaven


That session with Joan was the inspiration for what Sarah created as Joy Session, and says that now, she’s photographed nearly 500 pets and their parents before their pets cross the Rainbow bridge. The network is worldwide, and the pictures shared by hundreds of photographers across the world remind us that humanity is better because of our love for our treasured furry family members.

For more information, you can check Sarah’s site out, and of course, check out the Joy Session Network for more heartwarming pictures and opportunities to read about some extraordinary family members.

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

More by Lori Ennis

Next