Northern Virginia Lifestyle Dog Photography | Our First House | Bealeton, VA

Northern Virginia lifestyle dog photographer

I don’t do very many personal blog posts, but of course when I do, you know pictures of my dog are going to be involved, right?!

Our house in Bealeton was never going to be our forever house, but when we put it on the market a few months ago, it hit me that this is the only home that Rui has ever known! We lived here for five and a half years, and Rui came home with us just a couple months after we bought it. Neal and I have had countless conversations about wishing we could explain the concept of “moving” to him. He seems to get that all our stuff is still with us, just in a different place, but I still get so sad that he misses “home” and doesn’t understand what’s going on. He’s an emotional dog 😂

I took about half of these photos in the last few weeks (wanting to document everything before we left), but the other half are from over the years. So now you all can take a tour of our first house, and see what a day in the life of Rui typically looks like. Enjoy this little trip down memory lane!

Dog resting his head on dad’s face | DC dog photographer

When we upgraded beds, the master bedroom briefly turned into Rui’s ball pit room.

Lifestyle, in-home dog pictures based in Northern Virginia

Oh my heart. This boy does not usually do much cuddling with me, so I will take a hand hold any day. (He loves to cuddle with Neal! Apparently I’m the “fun” parent and he’d rather play with me than sit still haha).

Dog and dog mom cuddling in bed during an in-home dog photography session

Candid picture of dog sleeping on the bedroom floor | DC lifestyle dog photographer

Rui’s favorite spot to watch the neighbors and bark at all the other dogs on their walks.

Dog and his mom sitting on the bedroom floor and looking out the window

Rui prefers to be on carpet, so he didn’t spend a lot of time in this kitchen, but if there are bananas (or cheese) involved, he sits close by. Just in case.

Dog sitting next to the kitchen table, hoping to get some breakfast | Documentary style dog photographer in Northern Virginia and DC

The purple bathmat came along with us, so luckily Rui still has his spot for supervising all teeth brushing activities.

Rescue dog laying on a bathmat and watching mom brush her teeth | Candid, lifestyle dog photography in Fauquier County, Virginia

The sun from the bathroom skylight provided the perfect place for afternoon naps.

Black and white dog napping in the hallway, keeping warm in the sun from the skylight

Haha, this was an “I’m not coming out of the bedroom until the vacuum is gone” moment.

Fearful dog peeking his head out of the bedroom door, afraid of the vacuum cleaner

When’s Neal’s brother moved out a few years ago, the guest bedroom also became a temporary ball pit room!

Fun photo of dog playing in a makeshift ball pit in the spare bedroom | Fun DC dog photographer

Black and white rescue dog standing at the top of the stairs

Neal rarely plays his Xbox, but I grabbed this shot shortly after he bought some new game. I thought it looked like Rui was sad that Neal was hogging the controller 😂

Dog laying next to the couch while dad plays video games | In-home dog photography Northern Virginia

Dog scrolling through Instagram with his dad | Lifestyle dog photography in Washington, DC

Rui is not allowed on couches, EXCEPT when hockey blanket is out. Then it’s cuddle time.

Dog and dog dad cuddling on the couch | DC lifestyle dog photographer

I made sure there was plenty of room in my office for multiple dog beds. Gotta keep my co-worker comfortable.

Hanging out in the office with the cutest doggie co-worker | Candid Northern Virginia dog photography

Some days when he didn’t feel like sitting next to me, Rui would take on the very important job of holding down the rug outside my office.

Sleeping pup on area rug at the bottom of the stairs | Documentary dog photography

Or holding down the floor in the family room.

Lazy dog sleeping on the hardwood floor during a lifestyle dog photography session in Northern Virginia

This guy LOVES working out with me. He always followed me down to the family room to join in on my sit-ups and dance videos.

Dog giving mom a kiss while she tries to work out | Candid dog pictures in Northern Virginia

Cute pup sharing the yoga mat while watching his mom do sit-ups

Black and white dog jumping up to dance with his mom

Dog taking a nap under the foosball table | In-home dog photographer in Northern Virginia

On occasion, the family room turned into a concert venue.

I think what I’m going to miss most about this house is our backyard! It was so perfect for playing soccer (and/or eating soccer balls), and we backed up to a giant field of common area where Rui and I went running most days. And I know we’re going to miss being neighbors with Rui’s BFF, Hiro!