Lucky Mutt Photography | Minneapolis, St Paul Dog & Pet Photographer | Becky Kalin » Candid, professional dog and pet photography in Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota.

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Lucky Mutt Photography | Minneapolis, St Paul Dog & Pet Photographer | Becky Kalin bio picture
  • My life. My photos. My blog

    Hi there, and welcome to my blog! As a pet photographer I am truly blessed to be able to witness and capture that special bond that people have with the pets in their lives. This blog is my way of giving back a little piece of myself to those who are kind enough to welcome me into their lives and their homes. In these pages I hope to share the everyday moments, photos, and stories, from my own life, that make me tick, as well as a few beautiful images of the wonderful relationships I am asked to capture along the way.

    Please feel free to plop down on the couch with a big, warm blanket before reading...I wouldn't have it any other way. -Becky

Category Archives: Personal

fighting canine cancer with photos

I have a photo (somewhere) documenting my four year old, pig-tailed self sitting on the floor next two an eight week old, fluff ball of a Golden Retriever pup at my grandma’s house. It is really my only memory of the day my parents brought home my first dog…my first [furry] sibling. Her name was Cinnamon.

Three kids spanning ten years in age could not have asked for a better dog to share in their childhood. We adored her. Somewhere around age eight or nine she developed a lump on the back of her neck. Despite the vet’s claim that it wasn’t cancerous, Dad and Mom had the lump removed. By the summer of 1991, Cinnamon had slowed down considerably. Her last few weeks with us were spent almost entirely on our tiled basement floor…the coolest place in the house on a hot summer day. I remember a conversation with my mom after she had taken Cinnamon to the vet one afternoon. She explained to me that an x-ray showed one giant growth on her stomach and the rest of her covered in little tumors. It was, most definitely, Cancer. Almost exactly ten years after that photo of me with my brand new puppy had been taken it was time to say goodbye….Twenty years later, and I’m still tearing up thinking about that very day.

On Monday, August 1, eight individuals will be chosen for a reduced priced photo session with one of four Twin Cities pet photographers (myself included!). Each photo session will include a complimentary mini-book, and 100% of the session fee will be donated to the National Canine Cancer Foundation. I am so incredibly proud to be working with three amazing peers on this project. Please, please, please stop by Twin Cities Smile for a Cure and share your experience with Canine Cancer by Sunday, July 31. You will not regret having gorgeous photos of your loved ones in five, ten, or even twenty years, and knowing that you helped others in the process will make those memories even more meaningful.

Smile for a Cure is a nationwide collaboration of pet photographers focused on raising money for Canine Cancer research. The organization was started by North Carolina pet photographer, Nunthany Johnson in memory of her dog, Max, who passed away in 2009. If you are a photographer wanting more information on how to participate, please visit Smileforacure.org.

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the lucky life: birthdays, cupcakes, and prayers

Last week we celebrated Ryan’s birthday by spending a night out with close family and friends at both a steakhouse and a townie bar.

We enjoyed a life long family tradition by watching the High School Boy’s Hockey Tournament at the Xcel Center.

New foods that were made included potstickers, avocado-pear smoothies, and s’more cupcakes.

My cupcakes were definitely more of the tasty variety rather than the pretty variety, and I’m okay with that.

I said prayers for those who are suffering in Japan and those who are preparing for floods here in Minnesota.

I smiled Thursday morning when I realized that Ryan had unintentionally surprised me by putting new wipers on my car. (Hello! Mud season is here!)

I’m loving the photography and styling in the spring Eddie Bauer catalog–and I want one of nearly everything

I am currently thanking my lucky stars to have such a wonderful life, to have a dog that is no longer in pain, and to hear reports of Minnesota Twins’ spring training in Florida. (Baseball is back!)


The birthday boy.

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ups and downs

Last Thursday Phaneuf got up for her breakfast and startled us all with some very loud, why-does-this-hurt yelping. Something was clearly wrong with one of her back legs, as she was reluctant to put her weight on it. As the morning went on, it seemed to get better, so we decided to wait out the work day and go from there. That evening, and all day Friday she seemed to show progress, then the weekend hit. By Sunday night she was definitely in more pain, and couldn’t get on her feet with out more yelping and whimpering. The worst part was that she wanted nothing to do with Ryan or me, as we were definitely getting a “you’re no help, you’re only going to hurt it more” attitude from her. By Monday morning, as I fed her breakfast while she lay on the floor, all three of us were a wreck.

I am happy to say that after a visit to the doctor, an x-ray, and some anti-inflammatory meds, we’re seeing our girl return back to “normal”. Yesterday afternoon when I came home from work I was greeted at the door without cries of pain, and with lots of sloppy Newf kisses. My heart was breaking just two days seeing her in pain, and last night I found nothing annoying about having my big furry shadow nudging her way between me and the counter while I made dinner in the kitchen.


P.S. Are you seeing that crazy hair on top of her head?!–Wow.

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Debbie - How scary! I wonder what it was?!?! Glad she’s recovered!

jess - she is so sweet looking!! I know how hard it can be when our ‘little ones’ are sick and they can’t really tell you why :( I’m glad to hear the pain was short lived!!!

the lucky life: birthdays, cupcakes, and prayers | lucky mutt photography - [...] I am currently thanking my lucky stars to have such a wonderful life, to have a dog that is no longer in pain, and to hear reports of Minnesota Twins’ spring training in Florida. (Baseball is back!) [...]

Kristy - Awww, poor Miss P! I’m glad to hear she’s doing better, though.

the lucky life: snow day

Yesterday I had the opportunity to leave my day job a little early, and as much as I am ready for all things green, warm, and spring, I couldn’t help but see the beauty in this last snowstorm. (By the way, how lucky are we that some of our old snow had a chance to melt last week?!? Can you imagine how much snow we’d have if it hadn’t??–Wow.) When I got home Phaneuf, Mr. Nikon, and I headed outside and played in the street for a few minutes.

Phaneuf is in so many ways a perfect fit for Ryan and I. She and I however, do not see eye to eye on our preferred weather. While I love a nice, sunny summer day, this is her time of year, and nothing makes me like winter more than seeing her play in the snow. I just. plain. love it.

I am so glad that I fought my urge to curl up on the couch with a blanket, and I am so, so glad to have these photos of my snow-loving girl!

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Patty - I love these pics of him in the snow! My Newfie LOVED the snow! He would put his nose down into it and plow!!!

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