Pedey's Town | DogVacay.com Challenge | Fayetteville, N.C. Photographer

Like an animal lover, my pups pretty much stay with me wherever I go ... unless they hide from the camera like my "old man mutt" does. So, above is a picture of my 2 year-old boxer pup, Pedey. He's a curious one ... and has tons of energy. I guess that's a good thing since we are a pretty energetic family.

Living in Fayetteville, I have noticed a lot of people saying there isn't much to do here ... let me just put this out there — that's a bunch of boloney. Not only does the city offer an abundence of things to do, we are two hours away from the beach, an hour and a half away from the capital, and maybe ... 3-4 hours (maybe it's further away, but seriously) away from the mountains? I mean, we have it all!

Sunrise on Hay Street, Nov 11, 2012

Pedey and his brother, Nibbles, love hanging out around town. Even though they haven't actually attended a stroll down Hay Street (our historic district) many other dogs have and guess what? Many of the outside restaurants allow our fur babies to dine with us! I mean, come on?! how cool is that?!

I could go on and on about the historical pieces of Fayetteville or the fact that we were voted All American City in 2011 ... but I want to talk more about the outdoorsy places of Fayetteville.

Pedey doesn't walk on Hay Street or much around town, but he does LOVE the Cape Fear River Trail! The trail is a paved, 4 mile walk through beautiful LEAVED trees. And I know all you NC people are like, "leaved? all we have are pine trees!" But I'm here to tell you, we do have leaved trees here! :-)

The pups love it on the trail. Sometimes we even see deer ... but mostly squirrels that catch their attention.. Especially when the squirrels run on the crunchy, fall leaves.

Not to mention, about 30 minutes outta town we have Raven Rock! What what?! It's a state park and it's GORGEOUS!

Raven Rock has all sorts of trails to hike through ... best part the trail to the river!

This was Pedey's first trek to Raven Rock. Look how little he is!

A new state park has just been opened as well, Carver's Creek. The dog's haven't been there yet, but I have and it's another gorgeous place to hike and enjoy some fishing. My point is, there's a ton of stuff to do here besides spending money at the shopping malls or wasting away time in front of the TV. I honestly believe that Fayetteville caters to the huge military population here. I mean, I don't think Fayetteville would survive if it wasn't for Fort Bragg -- which has many walking trails as well ... like the Mata Mile and the All American Trail. 

But I do understand that you can't bring your fur-babies every where. Being in a military town, we have to travel (usually long distances) to visit family. That's why DogVacay.com is an awesome resource to find caring and loving people/families to watch your animals while you're gone. That's the last thing you want to worry about ... how you're animals are doing while you're gone. (And it's just a lil' bit more than just kenneling your dogs. They actually get to live with another family for a while or get to stay in their own place while an awesome person checks in on them from time to time) There are a ton of people willing to love, care and baby your animals in Fayetteville. Just check out THIS LINK!

Also, if you like to spoil your pup ... why not give them an awesome treat every month? I started receiving the BarkBox for my pups and they just love it!! They get new (and healthy) treats made just for them every month as well as new toys and accessories! Best part? Not only are you spoiling your pups, you're also helping out pups in need with 10% of your monthly payment going directly to rescue shelters! You can receive $5 off if you use THIS LINK.

And of course, a shameless shout out to my business, Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Don't forget to schedule photo sessions for or with your animals! They, like humans sadly, won't be around long and you should document their lives. I have professional images of my first pup who passed away a couple years ago, and I cherish the heck out of them! I have a cat that I should have done professional pics of ... but never did and sadly, now he too has passed. So, don't live in regret. Book your pet session today! I would love to capture your animal's life and hey, why not jump into the photos as well?! It's a blast! Just ask my son and Pedey!

 ***Do not copy, save or alter these images without the expressed permission of Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.***