I am Holly Montgomery, and I am a pet photographer in Calgary, AB Canada. I also co-own two, pet health food store franchises called Tail Blazers in the communities of Legacy and Copperfield.
When C-19 struck our city, many businesses were forced to close their doors to contain the virus. Although we never got to the point in Calgary where BrindleBerry Acres, my photography business, was forced to close, I closed it anyway out of an abundance of caution.
Our pet food stores were deemed essential and were allowed to remain open. However, we quickly had to pivot the way we did business. As small, family owned businesses, we thrived on offering a hands on, educational approach to each and every transaction; this was quickly taken away from us when we now had customers scared to come in, and to be frank, we were scared for them to come in too!
We quickly devised a plan to offer delivery and curb-side options when we hadn’t offered them before and we distanced ourselves physically from our clients for the first time in over a decade. Not only was this hard for us, and for our clients, but it has been particularly hard on our canine patrons.
Our stores were often a place where pups could come for treats, love and socialization and now they can only see us from the curb-side. The toughest part of our days are when puppies walk by our door and peer inside, wondering why they can’t come in. They can see us through the door, or on the curb and they can’t come over, and they don’t understand why. This has been heartbreaking for us.
With the Curb-side cuties project, I wanted to capture some of what we see as store owners. I photographed our canine clients as they came in to pick up their pet food essentials. At all times during the session we obeyed our local laws for public safety. This actually made it really tricky because normally when I photograph puppies, I allow them to come over to me and get to know me before I start snapping photos. In this case, I couldn’t.
Some puppies didn’t know me and were worried. Some were so happy to see me they wanted to leave the car and come say hi, and others just smiled for the camera.
This experience has taught me to be so grateful for my clients and our daily interactions. I hope this project and this way of doing business will be left in the rearview mirror very soon. Until then, enjoy seeing our fluffy clients as we do; the most adorable Curb-side cuties around!
More info: brindleberryacres.com
Photographing Rudy from a Safe Distance
New client, Abby is a little shy meeting me for the first time
Rose is wondering why she's not getting her usual cuddles
Gizmo can't understand why he can't go into "his" store
Bailey is curious as to why we're standing so far away
Tessa wants to hop out of her car and give us kisses
Guido prefers people keep their distance so he doesn't mind social distancing
Rudi waits on mom's lap for his food and treat order
Lola doesn't mind taking the back seat to sister, Poppy
Skye looks longingly at her favourite pet store people
Store owner, Ron, fits a harness for Ziggy while her mom keeps her distance
Sherman waits anxiously for his curb-side goodies
Rudy wonders why his friends aren't giving him treats today
