Photoshoot with eight-week-old Cheddar

Gemma has wanted a dog for over ten years. She knew she wanted a Golden Retriever, and she knew she wanted to call him Cheddar.

However, she previously lived in a flat which meant she didn’t feel she could go ahead and get her beloved fur baby.

Happily, having recently moved into a house with a garden with her partner, Dan, it was – finally – time.

Gemma booked some time off work to collect eight-week-old Cheddar and help him settle into his new surroundings.

Then she and Dan brought Cheddar into my Bicester photography studio one week later.

Amazingly, they’d already taught him to sit.

Gemma and Dan’s secret weapon is a bag of treats containing a salmon and peanut butter mix.

They have also used these to start teaching Cheddar a more advanced trick, called ‘middle’.

For this, Cheddar walks around Gemma’s shoes, before stepping between her feet to sit.

He’s also been learning his own name, although there’s a high chance he thinks it’s ‘good boy!’, at least at the moment. 🤣

After showing us what he could do, Cheddar was so pleased with all the attention (and the excitement of meeting someone new), that he kept coming over to say hello to me.

I spend a lot of time sat or crouched on the floor to bring myself down to eye level with the pets and children I photograph.

During Cheddar’s photoshoot I enjoyed a lovely moment when he bundled over and curled up in my lap; I have to admit I wasn’t in any rush to get back to work!

I can’t think of anything cosier than having a Cheddar to cuddle up to this winter, especially with his silky-soft fur and playful nature.

Cheddar has been just as popular with Gemma and Dan’s relatives, who have all been jostling to meet him.

Even Gemma’s mum, who grew up on a farm and so thinks of animals as livestock rather than pets, has found Cheddar endearing, even going so far as to admit he’s cute.

The cat, Minnie, is the only hold-out who hasn’t yet been won over.

However, there’s been progress even on that front.

Cheddar recently lay down and went to sleep on the floor in front of Minnie, who was dozing on the sofa.

When Minnie awoke, she kept an eye on Cheddar, but ‘allowed’ him to stay put, offering hope of a companionable relationship between them both in the near future.

To keep things harmonious, Gemma and Dan have decided that upstairs will be the cat’s domain, while a stair-gate will keep Cheddar downstairs.

Indeed, his only trip upstairs so far has been for a bath, which Cheddar had mixed feelings about.

Gemma told me that he looked a bit sorry for himself while getting shampooed, but cheered up once wrapped in a hooded bathrobe towel.

In human years, Cheddar would be a toddler right now – he certainly brought lots of toddler energy to his photoshoot!

And just like a toddler, after an hour or so of playing and interacting, Cheddar was ready for nap time.

So Gemma and Dan scooped him up and carried him out to the car, and he snoozed all the way home – and for most of the afternoon, too! 

I’ve known Gemma and Dan for a little while now, as I get to see them most Mondays at Bicester Rabble (playground games for grownups).

They are the absolute sweetest couple, and it’s clear to see how besotted they both are with Cheddar, and how much joy he has already brought to their family home.  🥰

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If you’re interested in Pet Photography in Bicester, Oxfordshire, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater AMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

She is the Master Photographers Association Young Families Portrait Photographer of the Year and Newborn Photographer of the Year for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).