Memory Sessions — Pet Photographer Near Boston, MA
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When your dog is very sick or getting close to the end, these photos become your most treasured memories.
Let's capture the love you share right now. These photos will help during the hard times and feel like a warm hug forever.
Sessions from $195 · Fast scheduling, 24–48 hours available · Compassionate, unhurried · Rockland, MA
For the Hardest Times
Why Now Matters
When a dog is very sick or old, we want to hold onto these moments forever. A memory session captures the love between you and your dog right now. These photos become your most precious treasure.
Someday, when you look at these photos, you'll feel like they're holding you. Like your best friend is right there with you again.
I Understand
I know this is hard. I've been there. I lost my own soul dog, Sully, and I understand the pain. That's why I do this work with so much love and care.
There's no rush. There's no pressure. We just capture the quiet love between you two.
What a Memory Session Includes
Gentle and Calm
If your dog is having a hard time, that's okay. We work with where they are right now. Quiet moments. Close-ups. The love in their eyes. That's what we capture.
Your Space
We can come to your home if that's easier for your dog. Maybe your backyard, a favorite spot at the park, or wherever they feel safest and most loved.
Fast Service
I know you don't have time to wait. If your dog is very sick, I do my best to fit you in quickly. Sometimes photos can happen in 24-48 hours.
Beautiful Memories
You get gorgeous photos that show the bond between you. These are pictures you'll treasure and share. Forever memories of forever love.
Treasured Memory Moments
How It Works
Let's Talk
We talk about your dog and what this moment means. I listen with my whole heart. We plan together.
Get Scheduled
We move fast. I know time is short. We find a time that works right now and get you in as soon as possible.
Your Session
We meet at a quiet place where your dog is comfortable. This is about love and being together. We take our time.
Forever Remember
You get beautiful photos that capture the love you share. These become treasured memories you can keep forever.
I've Been Where You Are
My dog Sully was a rescue. He came to me nervous, reactive, and deeply attached. He was not an easy dog — but he was mine. Over the years he taught me almost everything I know about photographing animals who don't automatically trust strangers, because for a long time I was one of the few people he did trust. (For a worked example with another rescue dog, see the fear-reactive rescue case study.)
When Sully got sick, I understood exactly what my clients feel in those first moments of panic — the urgency, the grief that starts before the loss, the desperate wish that you'd started taking better photos years ago. I lost him, and I know what it means to go looking for pictures afterward and not find enough.
That experience is why memory sessions are the work I take most seriously. I come to these sessions not as someone doing a job, but as someone who genuinely understands what is at stake for you. The photos we make together will be the ones you reach for first.
What Happens During a Memory Session
I arrive at your home or chosen location — wherever your dog is most comfortable. We do not rush. The first thing I do is sit quietly and let your dog decide when they're ready to acknowledge me, even if that takes twenty minutes of just existing in the same space.
We photograph what is actually there: how your dog leans against you, the particular way they look at your face, the way they settle into their favorite spot. I work with low, slow movement and no sudden sounds. For dogs who are very ill or can no longer walk well, I get down on the floor with them.
Most memory sessions run 30 to 60 minutes. I stop when your dog has had enough — not when a clock says we're done. You will receive your edited gallery within two weeks. If your dog's situation is urgent, reach out and I will prioritize your turnaround.
Pricing starts at $195. If your circumstances make that genuinely impossible right now, please reach out anyway. The most important thing is getting you these photos while you still can.
Before You Reach Out
Products
Wall art & print options
Canvas, framed prints, archival folio boxes — the lasting forms your memory portraits take.
Reviews
Read client reviews
Five-star reviews from South Shore families, including memory session clients.
FAQ
Common questions
Pricing, timing, what to expect, and how I handle in-home and hospice sessions.
New here? The Dog Portrait Photography overview covers everything in one place — studio vs. outdoor, breeds, pricing, reactive-dog approach, and what separates a portrait from a snapshot.
Beyond the session itself — see twelve meaningful ways to memorialize a dog.
About the Author
Chris McCarthyProfessional Dog Photographer · Rockland, MA · 11+ years experience
I've photographed hundreds of dogs across the South Shore and Greater Boston since 2014 — every breed, size, age, and temperament. My own rescue, Sully, was reactive and anxious when I got him, and working with him every day taught me how to photograph dogs that other photographers find difficult. I specialize in reactive and shy dogs, seniors, and memory sessions — the sessions that matter most and need the most patience.
Start the Conversation
Tell us a bit about your dog and what you have in mind. We reply within 24 hours.