Sweet Baby Frey

I asked Chloe why they wanted a shoot and she said, “I'm the type of person that takes TOO many photos and videos. But through all this Adrianna and I have maybe one decent photo with Frey. I don't want us to forget this time. How hard we worked, the bond we formed, the trials, the tribulations, the celebrations. I just worry that we're so focused on helping Freya adjust to city life and our routine that we are going to wake up in a year and realize we never even took a photo together.”

Freya
Sweet, Wild, Sassy
4 months old
Springer Spaniel

Follow her on IG
@fetchwithfrey

How did you become a family?
Chloe answered, “I have been begging Adrianna for a dog for more than 2 years. She had never had a dog and was nervous about what it would entail. This year she caved after I cried during the first week of Covid lockdown because "I'll never get to pet a dog again". Enter Freya. After much research and planning we decided a Springer Spaniel would suit our lifestyle. And gosh is she ever perfect. She's wildly smart, so sweet, a total goof, and playful from dusk till dawn! That working dog energy is something else isn't it? 

Cut to; the reality of a working breed. Let me tell you. Raising this rambunctious gal has been the hardest but most rewarding thing we have ever done. While we originally got the dog to fill a spot in my anxious heart, Freya has bonded so strongly with Adrianna and it genuinely makes my heart smile to see them together. For a girl who has never had a dog she's a GD natural. We've had sleepless nights, long days, unanswered behaviour questions, puppy blues, anxiety about not being good enough pawrents, all of it. But this experience has brought us closer than ever before and this little pup has truly made us into a family.”

What’s one of your funniest memories with her?
“Springer’s are ‘water dogs’ so we took her to a pool at 11 weeks old. Chloe held Freya out over the water and she seemed like she wanted to go in so Chloe let her go. As soon as Freya hit the water she started flailing her arms in this really awkward and funny way! She was okay but looked like some sort of spastic Frankenstein! It turns out our ‘water dog’ was’t much of a water dog after all.”

Does Freya have any quirks or funny habits?
“She does - what we call - a ‘gargoyle crawl’ onto the couch. She’s tall enough to jump up, but instead she’ll lay the front half of her body on the couch while her back legs flail around, until she somehow manages to drag herself up” they laughed. “Freya also has a kink in her tail that comes and goes. It’s weird. She doesn’t usually have it, but when she’s intrigued it’ll kink where the black meets the white. Her tail basically becomes a right angle.”

How has having Freya helped you in life?
“Chloe has a lot of love to give so it’s good she has Freya to give that energy to. And through raising her it’s made us become more loving towards each other. She’s made us more patient and present. You have to be aware of what she’s doing and what she needs all the time, so it keeps you busy and shows you what’s important. She’s been incredibly positive for us during this pandemic and any of the challenges have just made us stronger.”

What’s one of your favourite memories with her?
“The first time we took Freya to Humber River she showed us a new side of her. She transitioned into ‘hunter mode’ and it was really cool to see. That was when we knew we had found our adventure dog.”

How has Covid-19 affected your life with Freya?
Chloe explained, “When we decided to get a dog they were so hard to find! Everyone was staying home so a lot of people were adopting animals. Which is a great thing, it’s something positive that came from this time. However, it made it hard for us. We knew we wanted a certain breed because of temperament so we searched every adoption center we could, then tried to find a breeder. We couldn’t find anyone for a long time, it started to feel impossible. Then one day someone popped up in New Brunswick. They’d just had a litter so we emailed them right away. We were quick enough to get lucky number seven, my favourite number.”