This episode is all about Real Happy Dogs, the NYC-based photography business started by Milla Chappell, who is known for her photojournalistic approach to capturing the lives of dogs and their humans in situ. Milla tells Annie about growing up as the daughter (and granddaughter) of veterinarians, and how she went from getting graduate degrees in linguistics and English to becoming a wedding photographer, before eventually finding a way to marry her passion for animals, her interest in writing, and her photography talents. Milla shares some tips for getting great photos of dogs, and tells the stories of some of the rescues she's shot and profiled on her popular Instagram.

Show notes - Milla shares photo tips - Real Happy Dogs website - Real Happy Dogs on Instagram - School For The Dogs on Instagram
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Partial Transcript:

Annie:
Hi, my name is Annie Grossman and I'm a dog trainer. This podcast is brought to you by School for the Dogs, a Manhattan based facility I own and operate along with some of the city's finest dog trainers. During this podcast, we'll be answering your questions, geeking out on animal behavior, discussing pet trends, and interviewing industry experts. Welcome to School for the Dogs podcast.
**music**
Annie:
Hey everyone. Thanks for tuning in. I am here with my friend Milla Chappell, who is an incredible dog photographer. And if you follow us on Instagram, this whole month we will be featuring Milla's photos. So be sure to go to @schoolforthedogs on Instagram to check out some of her photos of our trainers at work, some of our students in our classes and in their homes. It's really awesome. We're really excited about it.

Milla, thank you for agreeing to talk to me.

Milla:
Thank you.

Annie:
So I first met Milla because she was taking photos of some of School for the Dogs’ clients and I was seeing them on Instagram and I was like, who is this photographer that's doing such an amazing job? Not only of getting great pictures of the dogs and having, you know, technically beautiful photos, but also I felt like they were photos where I could see the personality of the dog coming through in a really special way.
I remember in particular, Bane the bulldog.
Milla:
Yes, of course!

Annie:
People might be surprised that your background is actually more in the veterinary field than in the photography field at least as your family goes. So is that right?

Milla:
Yes, exactly. So I grew up in a home with two veterinarian parents. Actually, my grandfather was a veterinarian and then both of my parents are veterinarians. So that has been our world from as young as I can remember. That's, you know, the world.
Annie:
Did you just think everyone is a veterinarian?

Millie:
[laughs] Well, I do remember on, you know, when you bring your parents to work, I mean bring your parents to school and the parents talk about what they do. I always felt like my parents have coolest job. They would bring in, you know, dogs and cats and I always felt really proud. I loved growing up in, you know, in a veterinary home and in a home that loved animals. And it was great fun for a kid.

Annie:
What kind of pets did you have when you were growing up then?

Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcasts

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