Golden Rush Productions LLC: Blog

5 Caring Ways to Support Your Aging Golden Retriever, Why a Massage Bed Helps

2026-10-13T14:20:49Z

Watching the Gold Turn to Silver: Life with a Senior Retriever

If you’ve ever shared your home with a Golden Retriever, you know they stay puppies at heart for an awfully long time. One day they're fetching tennis balls until your arm falls off, and the next, you notice a dusting of silver around their muzzle.

As Goldens age, their joints—especially their hips and elbows—bear the brunt of a lifetime of enthusiastic leaping, running, and loyalty. You start noticing the little things:

Taking an extra second or two to push themselves up from the hardwood floor.
Hesitating before jumping into the back of the car.
Stiff, slow steps on chilly mornings.

Barnaby’s Story

Take Barnaby, for instance. At eleven years old, our golden boy was still convinced he was a two-year-old pup. But his back legs told a different story. After a long afternoon dreaming of squirrels, he would stand up with a heavy sigh, visibly stiff and reluctant to put full weight on his hips. Standard dog beds just weren't cutting it anymore—they flattened out completely against the floor, leaving his bony joints unsupported.

We wanted something that offered true relief, not just a soft place to lie down. That’s when we looked into therapeutic options designed specifically to ease canine joint and muscle tension.

How a Therapeutic Upgrade Changed His Routine

Introducing an advanced support system like the Dog Cloud Massage Bed made a noticeable shift in Barnaby’s daily comfort:

Targeted Pressure Relief: High-grade orthopedic support cushions distribute a large dog's weight evenly, taking the crushing pressure off their hips and shoulders.
Calming Vibration & Massage: Gentle therapeutic massage features help stimulate blood circulation to stiff muscles, easing the deep-seated stiffness that accumulates after a day of activity or simply lying still for too long.
Easier Mornings: Waking up without cramped, cold muscles means fewer groans and a much happier tail wag when it's time for breakfast.

Our older companions gave us their youth, boundless energy, and unconditional love. Making their golden years as comfortable and pain-free as possible is the least we can do in return.

Why Dog Play Groups Are More Than Just Fun and Games

2026-08-16T18:29:51Z

Why Dog Play Groups Are More Than Just Fun and Games

If dogs had social calendars, play groups would be circled in bright red. Dog play groups—whether organized meetups, park regulars, or small neighborhood gatherings—offer far more than a chance to burn off energy. They support healthy behavior, build confidence, and strengthen the bond between dogs and their people.

First and foremost, play groups provide structured socialization. Dogs learn how to read body language, practice polite play, and adapt to different personalities. This is especially helpful for young dogs, newly adopted pups, or dogs who didn’t get much early social time. Regular interaction can reduce fear, anxiety, and reactivity over time—because familiarity breeds comfort (and a lot of happy tail wagging).

There’s also the physical benefit, which is obvious the moment you see a dog joyfully zoom across the grass. Running, wrestling, and chasing help maintain healthy weight, build muscle, and improve coordination. A well-exercised dog is often a calmer dog at home—win-win for everyone involved.

Let’s not forget the mental workout. Navigating play, responding to cues, and engaging with different dogs stimulates the brain in ways solo walks can’t. Mental enrichment is just as important as physical activity, and play groups deliver both in one joyful package.

For humans, play groups build community. Dog people tend to find each other easily, and friendships often form over shared laughs, training tips, and the universal experience of picking fur off everything you own. It’s social time for you, too—no leash required.

Look to see if the Golden Rush as a play group or walk set up near you!

Tips for a Happy, Safe Play Group

Start with dogs of similar size, age, and play style.

Keep groups small at first, especially for new dogs.

Watch body language closely—healthy play looks loose and bouncy, not stiff or overwhelming.

Bring water, take breaks, and don’t be afraid to step in if energy levels get out of balance.

And of course, make sure dogs are healthy, vaccinated, and comfortable in group settings.

At the end of the day, dog play groups aren’t just about play—they’re about confidence, connection, and letting dogs be dogs. And honestly, there are few things better than watching a happy dog run toward their friends like it’s the best part of their week.

Phoenix Active Dogs Meetup

What it is: A laid-back community group where dog owners meet up regularly for park playdates, hikes, and social time at dog parks like Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert. You can join other pup parents and plan walks, off-leash fun, or meetups tailored to your dog’s energy level.

Why go: Easy way to meet regular dog walkers and pals for your dog, plus suggestions for hikes and dog-friendly outings from fellow owners.

Where to find: Meetup page — Phoenix Active Dogs Meetup Group (search “Phoenix Active Dogs Meetup” on meetup.com)

Meetup

Local Breed & Dog Park Meetups at FORDOG Park (Phoenix)

What it is: At FORDOG — a community dog park — there are often breed-specific meetups (like Corgi meetups, Dachshund meetups, Greyhound meetups) and casual get-togethers where owners bring their dogs and socialize.

Why go: Great place for pups to romp and for you to connect with other owners who share your dog’s style or breed interests.

ForDog

Where to find: Check FORDOG’s event board or their social pages for dates and times — FORDOG Meetup Events

ForDog

Woof Pack & Other Local Playdate Groups

What it is: Community-driven groups encouraging dog owners to connect, schedule pack walks, playdates, and casual meetups in local parks through apps like Woof Pack.

Why go: Flexible way to meet dog owners nearby and create your own weekly walks or play sessions.

craigslist

Where to find: Search “Woof Pack” or dog playdate apps in Phoenix/Tucson communities.

craigslist

Community & Volunteer-Style Dog Socials (Tucson)

What it is: Pause For Paws and other Tucson organizations host a variety of recurring pet-friendly activities — from community hikes and socials to training workshops and adoption meetups — that are open to dog owners throughout the year.

Why go: Great for mixing socialization, rescue support, and community engagement with pups in a fun, supportive environment.

Where to find: Pause For Paws AZ Fun Animal Events pages and calendars.

Indoor Dog Play & Social Clubs (Phoenix Metro)

Examples: Indoor dog parks like Rad Dog Club (coming soon in Phoenix) and Canine Oasis (indoor play space) host drop-in play sessions, social hours, and events especially during hotter months — ideal when outdoor parks are too warm.

Why go: Weather-proof social time for pups, mixed with owner meetups, community events, and potentially scheduled group play dates.

Where to find: Visit each club’s website or social channels for their recurring event calendar.

Rad Dog Indoor Dog Park Phoenix

Tips for Finding Recurring Dog Meetups Near You

Dog park socials: Many neighborhood dog parks (like Steele Indian School Park Dog Park, Paseo Vista in Chandler, and others) informally host weekly meetups — check park bulletin boards or local Facebook groups.

Breweries & patios: Places like OHSO Brewery and other dog-friendly patios often become informal weekly hangouts for pup parents.

Meetup & Facebook groups: Search terms like “dog meetup Phoenix” or “dog playdate Tucson” to find groups organizing weekly or monthly social events.

What to Bring

2026-07-28T17:49:59Z

What to Bring to Barks & Brews Pup Crawl: Flagstaff Edition

Flagstaff is famous for two things: world-class craft beer and four-legged mountain companions. Combine the two, and you get the ultimate high-country weekend event — the Barks & Brews Pup Crawl.

While our local patio scene is famously welcoming, crawling from taproom to taproom with a dog on a leash requires a little strategy. To make sure you and your pup have a seamless, stress-free day, success comes down to one thing: preparation.

Here is the unwritten playbook and essential gear guide for brewery hopping at 7,000 feet. Looking for items? Check out my Amazon list of items for the weekend!

1. Pack Like You’re Hiking the Peaks (Patio Gear Checklist)

Treat a pup crawl the same way you’d treat a day on the Flagstaff Urban Trail System — come fully stocked so you’re never caught off guard.

🎒 The "Pup Crawl" Pack Essentials:

The "Place" Mat or Outdoor Blanket: Cold concrete, hot pavers, or gravel patios aren't comfortable for long stretches. Bringing a light travel bed gives your dog a familiar target to lie down and relax.
Collapsible Water Bowl: Patios like Mother Road Brewing Company on Mikes Pike keep water stations handy, but having your own means your dog doesn't have to wait in line during peak patio hours.
High-Value Distractions: While you enjoy a cold Tower Station IPA, keep your pup occupied with a long-lasting chew, a stuffed KONG, or yak cheese stick.
Pocket-Sized Training Treats: Busy breweries mean lots of distractions (french fries, other dogs, loud acoustic music). High-value treats help reward good choices and keep your dog focused on you.
Double the Waste Bags: Always carry more than you think you need. Accidents happen, and keeping patios spotless keeps Flagstaff venues dog-friendly for everyone.
Fixed 4–6 Foot Leash: Leave the retractable flexi-leash at home. A sturdy, standard leash gives you maximum control around tight seating and busy server pathways.

2. Hydrate for High Altitude

High-altitude craft beer packs a punch for humans, but thin mountain air and sunny patio weather dry out dogs just as fast.

The Rule: Offer your pup water at every single stop before you sit down and order your own pint. If they've been walking in the sun between breweries, let them rest and rehydrate in the shade first.

3. Master the Secure "Station"

Flexi-leashes and crowded patio tables are a recipe for knocked-over IPAs and tangled table legs. Keep your dog's leash short enough that they can comfortably lie under or right beside your table.

Safety Tip: Secure the leash around your waist or a immovable post. Never anchor a leash to a light metal patio table or an umbrella pole — one sudden dart toward a squirrel crossing Route 66 can send glass and metal flying.

4. Respect the "Four Paws on the Floor" Rule

Even if your pup is small enough to fit on a chair or bench, local health regulations require four paws on the patio ground. This is where your portable mat shines — it creates a designated "stay spot" that keeps venue owners happy and your dog cozy.

5. Check Their "Social Battery"

Pup crawls are full of high energy: clinking glasses, new dogs around every corner, and enthusiastic strangers wanting to say hi.

Know the Signs: Watch for subtle stress cues like excessive yawning, lip licking, panting, or turning away.
Take a Breather: If your dog seems overwhelmed, step away from the crowd for a quiet 10-minute stroll down a nearby side street to reset before moving to the next brewery.

The Golden Rule: Preparation keeps the vibe relaxed. Gear up, keep your pup comfortable, grab a cold local brew, and enjoy celebrating Flagstaff’s amazing dog-loving community!

🍻 Barks & Brews Pup Crawl Checklist

🎒 Gear & Pack

[ ] Fixed 4–6ft Leash (No flexi/retractable leashes!)
[ ] Collapsible Water Bowl + dedicated water bottle
[ ] Travel Mat / Blanket (Keeps paws comfy on hot pavers or cold concrete)
[ ] Poop Bag Roll (Plus a few extras!)
[ ] Hands-Free Leash Attachment or waist clip

🦴 Treats & Distractions

[ ] 1–2 Long-Lasting Chews (yak cheese, or stuffed KONG)
[ ] High-Value Training Treats (To reward quiet patio behavior around food/dogs)

📱 Quick Prep Reminders

[ ] Offer water at every stop before ordering your brew.
[ ] Anchor leashes safely to your chair/body — never to light tables or umbrella poles!
[ ] Check paws & pavement — if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their pads.
[ ] Paws on the floor — keep pups on their mat, not on chairs or benches.
[ ] Watch the social battery — take a quick 5-minute stroll away from the crowds if they show signs of stress.

Pet Food Storage

2026-07-13T19:20:18Z

So I read something interesting recently: do you pour your dog or horse feed straight into a plastic storage bin? Turns out that's not the best idea.

The FDA actually recommends keeping pet food in its original bag — and if you use a storage bin, put the whole bag inside it rather than dumping the food in loose. A few reasons why:

Fat residue builds up on the walls of plastic bins over time and can turn rancid between refills, contaminating whatever fresh food you add next. Some plastics also let chemical additives migrate into fatty foods faster than the plastic used in food bags is designed to. And if you toss the original bag, you lose the UPC, lot number, and "best by" date — info you'd need if there's ever a recall.

Vet nutritionists (Tufts' Cummings Veterinary Medical Center among them) call this the "bag-in-bin" method: keep the food sealed in its original bag, then place the whole bag inside an airtight container. Best of both worlds — freshness plus no direct contact with the bin.

That's exactly why I switched: new containers made to hold the bags themselves, still sealed, instead of pouring food in loose. 🐴🐕

Here's my Amazon list of storage containers that you can put the whole bag into: https://www.amazon.com/shop/calvinandho06/list/2EMQZ1C3VA3ME?ref_=aipsflist

Sources:

Mastering the "Big Sit"

2026-07-06T17:20:09Z

Mastering the "Big Sit": Getting Our Goldens Camera-Ready for October

If you’ve ever scrolled through social media and stumbled across a photo of dozens of Golden Retrievers sitting perfectly side-by-side, you know how magical it looks. Seeing a sea of happy faces and perfectly lined-up pups makes you immediately want to grab your camera. But for anyone who has ever tried to photograph even a single Golden, a burning question comes to mind: How on earth did they get them all to look the same way at the same time?!

As we count down the months to our primary event this October in Flagstaff, we are setting our sights on capturing an epic group photo of our own. However, achieving that perfect lineup requires us to navigate a wonderfully predictable breed trait: our dogs are famously affectionate, enthusiastic "velcro" companions. Instead of focusing on a camera lens, a typical Golden’s natural instinct is to turn their back to the photographer, sit down, and stare directly up into their owner's eyes with absolute devotion.

While that adoring gaze is one of the reasons we love them, it presents a hilarious hurdle for a wide-angle group shot. To transform a chaotic bundle of wagging tails into an organized masterpiece, we are officially issuing some fun pre-event homework for all our attendees!

The Homework: Reversing the "Velcro" Stare

The secret to a successful large-scale dog photo is conditioning your pup to feel comfortable sitting in front of you while focusing forward. A few minutes of intentional practice during your daily routine can make a massive difference by the time the event arrives.

Positioning is Key: Start by asking your dog to sit facing away from you, or walk them out a few feet in front of you and ask for a "stay" while you remain behind or slightly to the side.
Define the Focus Point: Use a high-value treat or a favorite squeaker toy held directly adjacent to your camera phone. The goal is to teach them that looking at the device yields a reward, rather than looking back at your face.
Build up Duration: Start with just a second or two of forward-facing attention. Gradually extend the time they hold the sit before delivering the reward.

💡 Pro-Tip: Incorporate distraction training! Practice in your backyard or at a local park where other sights and smells compete for their attention. If they can hold a forward-facing sit with distractions nearby, they will be superstars on photo day.

Our Back-Row Backup Plan

We know that live events are inherently unpredictable. There will be young puppies, dogs experiencing their first big outing, and sweet pups who simply decide that staying seated among hundreds of new best friends is a hard "no."

If your Golden decides that sitting still isn't on their agenda when the camera comes out, do not stress at all! We have built a foolproof strategy right into the layout of the photo: the back-row backup plan. Owners in the rear of the lineup are fully encouraged to lift their furry best friends up over their shoulders, "Simba-style." This guarantees that every single dog gets included in the frame, whether they are show-ring steady or beautifully chaotic.

Share Your Practice Bloopers!

Half the fun of a community gathering is the journey getting there. As you work on your forward-facing sits over the coming weeks, we want to see how it’s going! Share your triumphs, your training milestones, and—most importantly—your hilarious blooper reels on our group page.

With a little bit of practice and a lot of patience, we are going to capture a memory that will last a lifetime. Let's get training!

Golden Rush Dog Travel Must Haves

2026-07-03T19:16:16Z

The Golden Rush · Flagstaff, Arizona

The Long Way to the Pines

What your Golden actually needs for the drive up and the reason behind every piece

There's a particular quiet at four in the morning, when the car is loaded, the coffee's hot, and a Golden Retriever is watching you from the back seat lkie the already know exactly where you're going. For a lot of our families, the trip to Flagstaff is a real haul — a couple of hours up from the Valley, or the better part of a day from California, Nevada, and Colorado. Somewhere along the way I stopped thinking of that drive as the toll you pay to get to the good part. It is the good part. It's the first chapter of the weekend, and a good chapter starts with a dog who's safe enough, settled enough, and comfortable enough to sleep most of the way there.

Here's how I pack for it, and the honest reasoning behind each piece — all of it gathered in one place so you can build your own kit in an afternoon instead of hunting item by item.

Shop the full travel kit →

A quick note: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only ever point you toward gear I'd put in my own car.

First, Your Golden rides secure

The unglamorous truth is the one worth starting with: an unrestrained sixty-five-pound dog becomes a projectile in a hard stop, and the climb up toward Flagstaff has enough curves and enough sudden brake lights to make that matter. That alone is reason enough to clip your dog into a simple seat-belt harness. But there's a softer reason I didn't expect: a dog who's tethered stops pacing. Your Golden isn't launching from window to window at every interesting smell — they lay down, because the decision's been made for them. Contained, it turns out, is calm.

Under your dog goes a hammock-style seat cover — honestly more for the trip home than the trip up, because a Golden who's spent a weekend in creeks and pine dirt does not come back the color she left. However your dog likes to travel, the principle holds: whether that's a full cargo liner, a back-seat extender that gives them room to stretch flat, or a mesh barrier that keeps the pack politely in the back, you want their space defined before you pull out of the driveway.

The part everyone forgets: getting in

We're a big-hearted, big-bodied breed, and our hips and elbows carry us through a lot of years of leaping in and out of tall SUVs. You don't notice the cost of that jump until you're watching a seven-year-old hesitate at the tailgate, or a puppy land wrong on joints that aren't finished growing. A ramp or a set of foldable steps is one of the kindest, most overlooked things you can hand your dog before a weekend that's going to ask a lot of those legs — dog park, downtown, and trail, all in three days. It folds flat between uses and earns its place on the very first climb.

Warm desert, cool pines

If you're coming up from the low desert, you'll start hot. That early stretch before you gain elevation is where a little airflow earns its keep, so I clip a rear-seat fan to the headrest and let her ride the desert leg in comfort. Then the road climbs, the temperature drops, and Flagstaff greets you in the low sixties by day and near freezing at night — which is exactly why the padded car bed that keeps them cozy on the drive quietly becomes the warmest nap spot they own once you're in the pines.

And when you finally reach the room, a collapsible travel crate gives your dog one familiar, den-like corner in an unfamiliar place. It's the difference between a dog who frets in a strange hotel and one who exhales, circles twice, and settles — and it packs down to nothing when you hit the road again.

On keeping them calm

Here's something worth saying plainly: even the most social Golden can find a long drive followed by a joyful crowd of strange dogs to be a lot. That's not a flaw in your dog. It's a big, wonderful, overstimulating weekend, and a little help going in makes the whole thing easier on both of you. Some folks reach for a calming collar for low-effort, all-weekend coverage; others swear by a gentle ear wrap that softens road noise and hotel commotion, or a tasty calming chew for the drive itself.

One timing note, so you're not disappointed: a chew or a collar works the day you use it. A supplement like Pro Plan Calming Care is a different animal — it's a probiotic designed to be started a few weeks ahead. If that's the route you want, pick it up now so it's actually working by October, not the morning you pull out of the driveway.

Water is the thing you'll underestimate

This is the one I'd tattoo on every first-time visitor's steering wheel. Flagstaff sits near seven thousand feet, the air is bone-dry, and a Golden with a full weekend of walking ahead of her will drink more than they do at home — noticeably more. So I pack more water than seems reasonable and make it effortless to offer a drink at every stop. A large-capacity travel dispenser lives in the trunk so I'm never rationing at a rest stop, a set of collapsible bowls clips to my bag and disappears when it's empty, and a bottle that carries water and a snack in one hand comes with me on the crawl and the trail. And because a weekend away is no reason to upend their stomach, their regular food rides along, portioned and sealed, so nothing changes but the scenery.

The muddy-paws-to-nice-hotel problem

Every good day in Flagstaff ends the same way: your dog has been through pine duff, red dirt, and probably a creek — and now they are standing at the door of a clean hotel room. This is where a small amount of cleanup gear saves your weekend. A paw cleaner deals with Golden-sized feet before they ever touch the sheets, a microfiber towel that packs down tiny dries a soaked dog at the trailhead, and a canister of pet wipes handles a muddy elbow between stops.

You'll also go through more poop bags than a normal weekend, so stock up, and a couple of sturdy carabiners let you clip bags, bottle, and leash to one bag so your hands stay free for coffee and camera. Last, tucked at the bottom where you hope it stays: a vet-approved first aid kit. In a mountain town full of trails and unfamiliar terrain, it's the one thing you're always glad you brought and never sorry you did.

Build the kit once and the drive stops being the stressful part — it becomes the opening scene. Then it's just you, your dog, a full tank, and a whole weekend of Goldens waiting in the pines.

See the whole travel kit →

Stay Golden.

For the full weekend lineup and everything happening in Flagstaff, visit goldenrusharizona.com
@azgoldenrush · facebook.com/goldenrusharizona · [email protected]
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, The Golden Rush may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Golden Rush Trading Cards

2026-06-25T16:22:55Z

🌲✨ The Pack is All Here! Check Out The Golden Rush Arizona Trading Cards! 🐾🏔️

The excitement is building for our high-country adventure in Flagstaff this October, and our registered pups are already looking like absolute superstars! We’ve been busy crafting custom virtual trading cards to celebrate our incredible community of golden adventurers.

From trail-blazers to professional treat-tasters, the full lineup is officially live! 🏷️🌟

📸 Want to see all the handsome faces joining us in the pines? We have uploaded the complete collection directly to our website! Head over to our photo gallery to check out the official album, find your pup, and see who else is hitting the road for the ultimate golden retriever weekend.

👇 Is your dog registered but missing their card? Don't worry! Drop a comment below with your pup's name and your absolute favorite high-resolution photo of them, and we will get to work on the magic!

🍁 Important Reminder: In order to be eligible to win our awesome weekend prizes, you must be officially registered and present during the hour before Barks and Brews. Don't miss out on the fun—secure your spot on our website's RSVP page today! 💛

goldenrusharizona.com

Beyond the Courthouse: Flagstaff Trails Your Golden Will Love

2026-06-24T20:27:05Z

Beyond the Courthouse: Flagstaff Trails Your Golden Will Love

One of the best-kept secrets about The Golden Rush? October isn't just about Saturday's group photo and downtown pup crawl. It's three days of exploring some of the most dog-friendly terrain in the Southwest—and Flagstaff has it in spades.

USA Today didn't name Flagstaff #1 dog-friendly vacation destination by accident. Beyond the pet-friendly patios and breweries, there are 132+ trails crisscrossing the town and surrounding area. Whether your Golden is a trail veteran or prefers easy, scenic walks, here are five favorites to hit during your Golden Rush weekend.

Buffalo Park — Saturday Morning Self-Guided Option

Two miles, flat, packed dirt, and stunning views of the San Francisco Peaks. If you choose the self-guided morning adventure on Saturday (before the 11 AM courthouse gathering), Buffalo Park is the perfect warm-up. The easy terrain is perfect for Goldens of any age, and you'll see other dogs, catch glimpses of mule deer, and have time for some good light photography. Meet at the trailhead at 9:00 AM if you want to hike with the community.

Red Mountain Trail — Perfect for "Light and Nimble"

Only 2.5 miles, lightly used, and famous for its soft cinders (easy on paws) and small pseudo-canyon with a forgotten cinder cone. Locals love letting their dogs loose here during the week. Minimal elevation change means your Golden can run and explore without getting wiped out. Just 25 minutes north on Fort Valley Road. Pack water and dog booties in summer; October is ideal.

Old Caves Crater Trail — Flexible Distance, Flexible Vibe

Can't decide how far to go? This system gives you options: 2-mile loops, 3-mile loops, or go straight up the cinder cone for caves and views. Great for impromptu photoshoots with the Peaks in the background (hello, holiday cards). The less-crowded loops let dogs roam, and the cinder terrain is endlessly entertaining. 3.5 miles northeast of the Flagstaff Mall.

Fisher Point Trail — The Arizona Trail Adventure

This one's part of the official Arizona Trail, with multiple starting points depending on how ambitious you're feeling (4–12 miles). Fisher Point itself sits in a wide-open field perfect for fetch. Lots of interesting scents, tall grass your Golden will love, and views that remind you why Flagstaff sits at 7,000 feet. Leash recommended here—it's popular and there's wildlife.

Fat Man's Loop — East Side Variety

Large boulders to scramble on, smaller creeks, interesting terrain changes. A local favorite precisely because it has a little bit of everything. Great for dogs who like exploration without major elevation gain.

Before You Go

Pack water and a bowl. Water isn't prevalent on most Flagstaff trails.
Bring bio-degradable poop bags. Seriously. These are neighborhood trails, and locals care for them.
October weather is ideal — cool mornings, comfortable afternoon temps, and the light is photographer's gold.
Respect leash rules. Some trails require them; others have off-leash culture. Check before you go.
Stay on marked trails. Cinders can get hot in summer, but October? Perfect.

The full trail guide with GPS coordinates and more details is available at Flagstaff.com's best trails for dogs.

This October, come for the group photo. Stay for the trails. Your Golden will thank you—and so will your camera roll. And Sunday? You'll be relaxing poolside at The Oakmont brunch with your pup, watching the San Francisco Peaks and knowing you made the most of every moment.

Stay Golden,

Laura

https://www.flagstaff.com/best-trails-for-dogs

Meet Our Sponsor, Charming Creations

2026-06-22T21:55:18Z

Capturing the Soul of Your Golden: Meet Our Sponsor, Charming Creations

We all know that our Golden Retrievers are so much more than just pets—they are heartbeat-at-our-feet family members. Whether they are full of puppy energy or a distinguished silver-faced senior, we constantly look for ways to freeze those precious moments in time. That is why we are absolutely thrilled to introduce Charming Creations as an official sponsor for this year's Golden Rush!

Founded on 100% hand-painted love, Charming Creations turns your favorite photos of your fur babies into stunning, versatile keepsakes that capture their exact essence.

Born on a Whim, Fueled by Passion

Every great story has a twist, and the journey behind Charming Creations is a testament to resilience and the power of art. During the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic, the artist behind the brand faced a major life hurdle when her traditional job was eliminated. Needing to find a way to earn an income while navigating a tough job search, she turned back to a lifelong, deep-rooted passion: painting.

Starting the business was truly a leap of faith. In fact, it was created entirely on a whim—and some skeptics even told her she was wasting her time! Undeterred, she joined a pet-loving Facebook group and shared a few of her initial hand-painted projects. The reaction from the community was immediate and overwhelming. Pet parents didn't just like her art; they connected with it. In that moment, she knew this business simply needed to exist.

Thanks to an incredibly loyal, passionate community, she has never had to go back to a traditional corporate desk. Instead, she gets to spend her days bringing joy to pet parents all over the country.

100% Hand-Painted Memories

What makes Charming Creations so special is the meticulous care that goes into every piece. If her own dogs could write a review, they would tell you she is an artist entirely centered around customer service and bringing happiness to others.

When you order a piece, it isn't run through a digital printer or an automated filter. The artist takes your favorite photo, truly studies your pup's unique features, and paints directly what she sees. Every single item is a 100% hand-painted original that captures your dog's distinct soul and personality.

Because these keepsakes are so versatile, they can adapt to whatever your family needs. They make beautiful holiday ornaments for the family tree, daily keychains, or zipper pulls for your favorite bags. They serve as a perfect snapshot in time to celebrate a current pup, and they are so deeply loved that the majority of her business comes from repeat clientele and happy customers gifting them to friends and family.

A Deep Connection to the Rainbow Bridge

For many pet parents, the most meaningful pieces are the ones that honor a pet who has crossed the rainbow bridge. The artist shares that she frequently receives messages from grieving families thanking her for beautifully capturing the soul of their departed companions. For her, the absolute proudest moment of running this business is hearing from clients who say her hand-painted charms have genuinely helped them heal after a loss.

Grateful to Be Part of the Pack

When we asked Charming Creations what it means to be joining us at The Golden Rush, the feeling was mutual:

"I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of a pack that is so passionate about their community, their fur babies, and humanity as a whole."

We are incredibly proud to partner with a business that values family, memory-making, and community just as much as we do. A massive thank you to Charming Creations for sponsoring our event—the artist is so excited to see who wins the special drawing!

To see more of her incredible transformations, explore her gallery, or order a custom keepsake of your own Golden, head over to www.createmycharm.com.

A Love Letter to Dog-Friendly Flagstaff

2026-06-21T16:34:23Z

A Love Letter to Dog-Friendly Flagstaff (and Why Your Golden Belongs Here This October)

There's a moment that happens to almost every dog owner who drives up out of the desert and into the pines for the first time. You roll the windows down somewhere past the last cactus, the temperature drops fifteen degrees, the air goes sharp and clean with ponderosa, and in the back seat a nose lifts and starts working overtime. Your dog knows before you do. Something good is up here.

That something is Flagstaff — a mountain town at 7,000 feet that, a couple of years back, USA Today crowned the number one dog-friendly vacation destination in the entire country. It wasn't a fluke or a marketing gimmick. The ranking looked at the fifty most-visited cities in America and graded each one on the things that actually matter to a traveling dog and the human holding the leash. Flagstaff came out on top, partly because it has the highest concentration of dog-friendly places to stay of any city in the running. It also lands third in the nation for pet-friendly restaurants, sits near the top for dog-friendly bars, and — this is the number that makes a Golden's tail go horizontal — offers 132 dog-friendly trails. One hundred and thirty-two. You could hike a different one every weekend for two and a half years and still have leftovers.

But rankings are just numbers. What makes Flagstaff special is the feeling, and the feeling is this: your dog is not tolerated here. Your dog is welcomed. There's a difference, and you can feel it the second you arrive.

The Town That Hands Your Dog a Bowl at the Door

Start where everyone should start — the Flagstaff Visitor Center, tucked inside the historic train depot right on Route 66. Walk in with proof you're staying in town and they'll hand your pup a free bowl, no strings. It's a small thing, but small things tell you everything about a place. A town that greets your dog with a gift is a town that has thought about your dog.

From there it only gets better. Most Flagstaff restaurants are built around patios and sidewalk seating, and the unwritten rule is simple: if there's outdoor seating, your dog is probably invited. The dead giveaway is a water dish waiting by the door. Wander historic downtown and you'll find boutiques with treat jars on the counter, bookshops with a cozy window nook and a water bowl for thirsty pups, and patios where the staff will quietly bring your dog a drink before they bring you a menu.

And then there's the beer. Flagstaff takes its craft beer as seriously as it takes its dogs, and the two cultures have fully merged. Our weekend's anchor venue, Mother Road Brewing, is the beating heart of that scene — a brewery famous for what they call "radical hospitality," with a spacious patio where dogs aren't an afterthought, they're regulars. Mother Road has real history here when it comes to four-legged causes; they've teamed up with local partners to turn pints into donations for High Country Humane shelter. When we tell people Mother Road is our Friday Happy Hour kickoff and our Saturday grand finale, the Flagstaff folks just nod. Of course it is. Where else would the herd gather?

Home Base in the Pines

You need somewhere to rest all those happy, tired paws, and this is where Flagstaff really flexes. The town has more than fifty pet-friendly places to stay, but our official host hotel, the Americana Motor Hotel on Route 66, was practically built for a weekend like ours. This is a lovingly restored mid-century gem that didn't just slap a "pets allowed" sticker on the door and call it a day. They built a "Barkyard." They installed a dog wash station. They waive the pet fees entirely for our Golden Rush guests, hand every room a couple of welcome beverages at check-in — your choice of bottled water or a Mother Road brew — and they're holding a guaranteed one o'clock checkout so nobody has to rush their dog out the door on the last morning. A hotel that builds a yard specifically for dogs is a hotel that gets it.

The Trails Are the Whole Point

This is, after all, an outdoor lover's town, and the dogs know it. Buffalo Park is the local favorite — a two-mile loop right in town with wide-open meadow and the San Francisco Peaks rising up behind you like a postcard that learned to breathe. Out on the trails you'll share the woods with elk, deer, the occasional skunk who'd really rather you kept your distance, and an endless supply of pine needles your dog will somehow bring home in their fur. Bring a towel. Bring water. Bring the kind of dog who thinks a forest is the greatest invention in human history, which is to say, bring a Golden.

It's no accident that all of this exists in one place. Flagstaff is home to a major Nestlé Purina pet food facility, ranks at the very top of the country for dog-friendliness, and threads dogs through its restaurants, its breweries, its shops, and its mountains. The pet-friendly identity here isn't a costume the town puts on for tourists. It's just who Flagstaff is.

Why October Is the Magic Window

Here's the secret the locals will tell you if you buy them a beer: come in October.

Summer in Flagstaff is lovely, but it's also when half of Phoenix flees the heat and crowds the trails. Winter brings snow and the kind of cold that ends a patio season. But October? October is when Flagstaff exhales. The aspens turn gold to match the dogs. The daytime temperatures settle into the comfortable 60s — perfect hiking weather for a double-coated breed that wilts in the desert sun. The summer crowds have thinned, the patios are still open, and the whole town glows in that particular high-country autumn light that photographers chase. For a Golden Retriever, who was frankly designed by Scotland for exactly this climate, an October weekend in the pines is as close to heaven as a leash will allow.

It's also, not coincidentally, when the town throws one of its best parties.

This Is Where The Golden Rush Comes In

We built The Golden Rush for this exact convergence of place and season — Arizona's first dedicated Golden Retriever community weekend, happening in Flagstaff October 2–4, 2026. Picture it: Friday Happy Hour at Mother Road as the herd rolls into town. Saturday morning off-leash chaos at the dog park, a grand group photo at the Flagstaff Courthouse, and then a glorious river of golden fur flowing through downtown as part of the beloved Barks & Brews Pup Crawl — an event where one hundred percent of proceeds support the Canyon Animal Care Foundation and the animals of Northern Arizona. We finish at Mother Road's iconic mural wall for the kind of group photo that ends up framed on a hundred living room walls. Sunday, for anyone not ready to leave, one last farewell hike under the Peaks.

And because a great party deserves great loot, our founding sponsors are loading up the prize table. The Healthy Golden— Sabrina Ray's Flagstaff-based wellness brand and one of our very first believers — is right at the heart of it. Mak Pack Dog Training & Boarding is putting up training packages and a week of daycare. Three Dog Bakery is sending arrival cookies and a gift basket. MagnePup has a full collar, harness, and leash bundle in the mix. Charming Creations and Arizona Home Seekers are bringing giveaways and custom swag, and every dog in the pack will be sporting one of Kathy Wollum's custom Golden Rush bandanas. These are the names who said yes in Year One, and we'll never forget it.

So here's the invitation. Flagstaff already built the most dog-friendly town in America. October already hands us the perfect weekend. All that's left is to fill it with Goldens. Bring yours.

We'll save you a spot on the patio.

Stay Golden. 🐾

The Golden Rush · Flagstaff, Arizona · October 2–4, 2026 · goldenrusharizona.com · @azgoldenrush

Sponsor: American Motor Hotel

2026-06-21T16:23:01Z

Where the Herd Sleeps: The Story of Our Host Hotel — Americana Motor Hotel, Flagstaff - A Sponsor Story By Laura McClure

There's a particular kind of dread that comes with booking a hotel for a trip with your dog.

You already know the drill. The fine print buried at the bottom of the confirmation email. The non-refundable pet deposit that costs more than the room. The single sad "pet-friendly" option tucked next to the ice machine, where you spend the whole stay whispering apologies to passing guests every time your Golden Retriever exhales too enthusiastically in the hallway. You've been there. We've all been there.

Finding a hotel that genuinely welcomes your dog — not tolerates, not accommodates, but actually welcomes — is a different experience entirely. It feels like exhaling for the first time in three hours of driving.

That's the Americana Motor Hotel. And it's where The Golden Rush comes home every night.

The story of the Americana begins in 1962, when a motor lodge opened along the stretch of Route 66 cutting through Flagstaff, Arizona. Located at 2650 East Route 66, the Americana was once Flagstaff's largest motel — a respite for the stars, the road-trippers, and the restless, all of them passing through on the great American highway that connected everything to everything else. Back then, it was a place to lay a road-weary head. Nothing more, nothing less.

But the Americana always attracted interesting company. When the 1969 independent road classic Easy Rider was filming in and around Flagstaff, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and the rest of the crew stayed here and worked out of the Americana. Robert F. Kennedy campaigned here in 1968.

The walls of this building have absorbed decades of American ambition, restlessness, and the particular magic that happens when people are in motion toward something.

Then the years wore on, as years do. The highway changed. The travelers changed. The building aged. And for a while, this piece of Route 66 history faded quietly into the background of a town that kept moving forward.

In 2021, the property was purchased by Americana Hotel Ventures for $7.37 million. What followed was not a renovation so much as a resurrection.

After 62 years and a $20 million renovation by Practice Hospitality, this retro-futuristic waystation was reborn — venerating American pop culture as it is now and as it was then.

The redesign was spearheaded by Andrew Alford, principal at Andrew Alford Creative, who sought to breathe new life into the property by combining elements of the original look and feel with odes to classic road trip culture, the surrounding Arizona landscape, and Flagstaff's deep ties to astronomy.

The result is a cheerful example of retro-futurism alive in the present day — bright colors, atomic starbursts, vibrant pinks, tangerine orange, and banana yellow coming together in a Googie aesthetic that is equal parts 1962 and entirely right now.

The astronaut mannequin at the front entrance is your first clue that this place takes its history seriously — because every astronaut who has walked on the moon trained in Flagstaff. The Americana wears that fact like a badge.

The press has noticed. Outside magazine named it one of the best new hotels with easy access to U.S. national parks.

Condé Nast Traveler called it "a reimagined midcentury jewel," a "vibrant, design-minded" standout in the Route 66 revival.

The LA Times sent a writer who reported smiling the moment they saw the sign — groovy lettering out front, astronaut mannequin at the door, mirror ball in every room, orange armchairs.

Arizona Highways featured it on their October 2024 cover.

The Independent Lodging Congress named it Most Innovative Hotel Design for 2024.

It was named Motel of the Year 2024, North Central Arizona.

This is not a hidden gem. This is a place that earned its spotlight and knows exactly what it is.

But here's what the travel press can't fully capture, and what matters most to us:

The Americana has a fenced "Barkyard" with a dog wash station.

I know. Take a breath.

A dedicated, fenced outdoor space for dogs. A wash station for when your Golden comes back from Bushmaster Dog Park wearing half of it on her coat. Fire pits in the backyard for the evening wind-down. A heated pool. Hammocks. A Sinaloa-style Mexican food counter called Baja Mar. Complimentary beverages at check-in. No pet fees. No deposits. Four-legged companions always welcome.

When we were building The Golden Rush — Arizona's first Golden Retriever community weekend — the search for a host hotel was not simple. We needed a property that could absorb dozens of Golden Retriever families without flinching.

A place with real outdoor space where wet, happy, post-dog-park dogs could exist without causing a staffing incident.

A place where the fire pit situation was genuine, not decorative.

A place that understood, at a foundational level, that for our community the dog is not the luggage. The dog is the entire reason for the trip.

Dominic Nez, the General Manager, Angelica and the team didn't just check those boxes. They understood what we were trying to build — and they met us there.

The partnership they've extended to Golden Rush attendees says everything: a 25% discount off the best available rate by calling Dominic or Angelica and asking for LAUNCHBAY ACCESS, waived pet fees and deposits, a guaranteed 1:00 PM late checkout so Sunday morning doesn't feel rushed, and a Mother Road Double 6 beer waiting in your room at check-in.

Because nothing says welcome to Flagstaff like a cold craft beer and a Golden Retriever flopped across the foot of the bed.

This is what a real partnership looks like.

There's something fitting about a Golden Rush community making its home at a property built on Route 66. The Mother Road has always been about the journey more than the destination — about the people you meet on the way, the places that surprise you, the stops that become part of the story.

The Americana gives its visitors a sense of place and a feeling they can take with them even after they've checked out. That's a rare thing in the hospitality industry, and it's exactly the spirit we're trying to build with The Golden Rush.

We want our community to come back to Flagstaff every October not just because of the dogs — though the dogs are the whole point — but because of how it feels to be there.

The pines.

The elevation.

The 60-degree October air that hits you like a gift after a Phoenix summer.

The downtown streets filling with golden fur and the sound of people who've been strangers for eleven months and friends for one weekend.

The fire pits at the Americana after the Barks & Brews crawl winds down, when everyone is loose and happy and no one wants the night to end.

That feeling requires the right home base. We found ours on Route 66.

The Americana Motor Hotel is the Official Host Hotel of The Golden Rush 2026.

Book your stay at 2650 E. Route 66, Flagstaff calling Dominic or Angelica with code LAUNCHBAY ACCESS for your 25% group discount. Pet fees waived. Late checkout guaranteed. Dog wash station ready.

goldenrusharizona.com | @azgoldenrush | #GoldenRush2026

Laura McClure is an award-winning content creator and contributing writer for Queen Creek Living magazine.

Sponsor: Samdanas Bandanas

2026-06-21T16:21:27Z

The Woman Who Makes Everything Herself

A Sponsor Story — Lisa Nico and Samdanas Bandanas

It was 2020. The world had stopped. The roads were empty, the calendars were cleared, and somewhere in the middle of all that uncertainty, Lisa Nico sat down and made a dog bandana.

Then another. Then another.

She didn't know it yet, but she was building something.

Samdanas Bandanas was born at the beginning of Covid, the way a lot of meaningful things are born — out of a need to do something with your hands, something productive, something that mattered. Lisa and her husband needed a project. They needed purpose. And they needed a little extra income in a world that had suddenly reshuffled everyone's plans. So they started making dog bandanas, and the response was, in Lisa's own words, something she never imagined.

That's the kind of sentence that sounds modest until you understand what's underneath it.

Lisa doesn't hire out. She doesn't order from overseas. She doesn't outsource a single stitch to a factory or a fulfillment center or a drop shipper running product out of a warehouse she'll never see. Every bandana, every collar, every embroidered shirt that leaves under the Samdanas name was made by Lisa Nico's hands. She buys her fabric not from big box stores but from online suppliers and local quilt shops — because the quality is different, and she can tell, and she believes you can tell too.

Her quality standard is simple and non-negotiable: if she wouldn't pay for it herself, it doesn't get sold. In five years of business, she has never had a single issue with a product. Not one.

That's not luck. That's someone who takes what she makes personally.

The bandanas — the heart of the whole operation — are two-sided. Two completely different fabrics, two completely different looks, one bandana. It's the kind of detail that sounds small until you realize it means you're getting twice the value for the price of one. And the price, by the way, is the point. Lisa watched the pet accessories market for years and kept running into the same frustration: poorly made products at prices that made no sense. She knew she could do better. She priced her items the way she'd want to find them — fair, honest, and worth every dollar.

She also personalizes. For free. Because of course she does.

And sometimes, when she ships an order — or when you visit her at one of the shows she does across the region — she tucks in an extra bandana. No explanation. No announcement. Just a small, handmade thank you from someone who means it. Her customers, whom she calls her "pupstomers," have come to love this about her. Some of them have ordered so many bandanas over the years that when Lisa finally met one of them in person for the first time, she cried.

"Like a baby," she says. "It was like meeting a long-lost relative."

That is what a repeat customer base built on Facebook, handmade quality, and genuine human warmth looks like in real life.

The name, by the way, belongs to Sammy.

Sammy is a goldendoodle — half Golden Retriever, half poodle — and he is, by any measure, the reason any of this exists. Lisa has loved dogs her whole life and has said goodbye to more than she'd like to count. Sammy filled the biggest hole in her heart, the way only the right dog at the right time can. His pictures cover the Samdanas tent at every show. He is, reliably, the first thing people smile at when they walk up.

He's also very clear about his schedule. At shows, Sammy is absolutely electric during setup — running around, greeting people, soaking in every moment. The second the event ends, he is done. Ready to go home. He had enough. Lisa tells this story with the kind of affection that makes it obvious she would not have him any other way.

Samdanas is named for Sammy. The business was built for Sammy. And every dog who has ever worn one of Lisa's bandanas is, in some small way, part of his story.

Lisa doesn't have a Golden Retriever right now — though she had one years ago and will tell you they are the most wonderful dogs ever. What she has is Sammy, who carries that Golden spirit in exactly half his DNA and apparently all of his personality. And what she has is a community she's been trying to find for years.

She applied to sponsor events before. More than once, she reached out and never heard back. When The Golden Rush said yes, it meant something real to her.

"This is the type of event I have longed to get into," she said. "Being part of The Golden Rush means more than words can say."

We feel the same way about her.

Find Lisa and Samdanas Bandanas on Facebook at Lisa Nico or Samdanas, or reach her directly at [email protected]. Every Golden Rush attendee who mentions the event on a future order will receive ongoing special offers — because that's exactly the kind of person Lisa is.

goldenrusharizona.com | @azgoldenrush | #GoldenRush2026

Laura McClure is an award-winning content creator and contributing writer for Queen Creek Living magazine.

Sponsor: MagnePup

2026-06-21T16:20:27Z

Sponsor Stories: How a Wriggling Dog and a Patient Husband Inspired a Magnetic Revolution in MAGNEPUP

When life changed in an instant for one Arizona family, the simple joy of a dog walk turned into a heartbreaking daily struggle. After a sudden hospitalization left her husband facing a long, exhausting road to recovery, his physical therapists recommended walking their dogs to rebuild his strength and balance. It was supposed to be a comforting return to normalcy. But the reality in their living room was anything but peaceful.

Their dogs, completely unaware of the health crisis, would vibrate with pure excitement the moment the leashes came out. For a husband dealing with compromised balance and severely weakened hand strength, trying to hold a wriggling dog steady while bending down became a high-stakes danger. His hands simply couldn't muster the painful, precise pinching force needed to squeeze stiff plastic buckles or manipulate tiny, stubborn metal clips. What was meant to be a therapeutic escape instead became a frustrating reminder of physical limitations and a genuine fall risk.

Seeing her husband lose that piece of independence was painful, and searching the market for help only brought empty shelves. No one was making dog gear for people with hand fatigue, arthritis, or mobility challenges. So, as a woman-owned, family-supported business, she decided to build the solution herself.

The heart of their invention was born out of that living room frustration: a patented magnetic system designed to take the physical strain out of loving your pet. Instead of forcing shaky hands to perfectly align a latch, MAGNEPUP uses powerful, built-in magnets that magically draw the two ends of the gear together. The moment they meet, internal "grapple claws" instantly snap shut around a grooved post. It locks mechanically, creating a bond so secure that it is physically impossible for even the strongest pulling dog to break. Yet, when the walk is over, a gentle press of a low-pressure release button effortlessly releases the hold.

As they shared their creation with the world, their blog began to fill with emotional stories from other families who felt seen for the very first time. They heard from elderly pet parents who had been secretly crying tears of frustration as arthritis robbed them of the grip strength needed to secure their dogs. They heard from people who felt absolute panic leaving their pets with older neighbors or sitters, terrified a traditional buckle wouldn't be clicked in all the way.

Through these shared stories, MAGNEPUP evolved from a personal family project into a lifeline for a whole community. It transformed the chaotic, anxious minutes before a walk into a seamless, confident moment. Today, their harnesses, collars, and leashes aren't just premium pet gear—they are a way to give people back their freedom, their dignity, and the simple, stress-free joy of stepping out the front door with their best friend.

Sponsor: Mak Pack Dog Training and Boarding Chandler

2026-06-21T16:19:46Z

Sponsor Spotlight: Meet the Mak Pack Dog Training and Boarding Chandler Family

Mak Pack — with locations in Tempe and Chandler — is one of Arizona's most loved dog training and boarding facilities, and they are giving away 2 six week training sessions and a week of doggie day care at the Saturday prize drawing on October 3rd!

The first in a series of stories about the people behind The Golden Rush — told by Laura McClure, award-winning content creator and contributing writer for Queen Creek Living Magazine.

If you’re looking to join the family and give your dog the summer sanctuary they deserve, connecting with Mak Pack is easy. You can explore their programs online at www.MakPackAZ.com, give them a call at 480.262.5412, or stop by their facility at 3050 S. Gilbert Rd., Chandler, AZ 85286 to see the behavior-driven training in action.

The Mak Pack Family

Chandler's Indoor Sanctuary for Behavior, Obedience, and Socialization

In Chandler, we all know that once the mercury climbs past 110∘F, the very ground beneath us becomes a hazard. For our four-legged neighbors, a simple walk can lead to scorched paw pads, as pavement retains heat long after the sun sets. Recognizing this seasonal struggle, Spencer and Lauren Mak didn’t just open a business; they created a local sanctuary grounded in the reality of Arizona living—combining a climate-controlled escape with world-class, behavior-driven training.

Spencer Maks holds a degree in Animal Physiology & Behavior from Arizona State University, a Master Certification in Animal Behavior, and is a CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Having served as a National Program Manager for Dog Training at Best Friends Pet Care and a curriculum contributor for PetSmart, Spencer has literally helped shape the training systems used across the pet industry today. But the foundation of Mak Pack is a true partnership. Lauren Mak, Spencer’s best friend and partner in everything, was instrumental in designing the vision, culture, and high standards of the business. Without her belief and dedication to building an intentional, community-focused space, Mak Pack would not look the same today.

Their collaborative vision led to the opening of their 31,000-square-foot Chandler facility in 2022. By dedicating 10,000 square feet strictly to an indoor, climate-controlled arena, the Maks ensured that local dogs have a safe, air-conditioned environment to train, learn, and channel their energy, completely independent of the blistering summer thermostat. Mak Pack sets itself apart by leaning heavily into a philosophy of "Behavior, Obedience, and Socialization." Spencer's expertise teaches that a bored or under-stimulated dog is often a stressed dog.

When summer heat restricts outdoor exercise, structural training becomes the ultimate tool to keep a dog mentally sharp and well-adjusted. Because the training and socialization environment is entirely indoors, safety and cleanliness are controlled to an elite standard. Backed by Spencer’s specialized certification in Infectious Disease Management, the indoor facility bypasses the sanitation challenges of traditional outdoor spaces. Outdoor dirt, gravel, and artificial turf can bake in the sun and trap harmful bacteria or parasites. At Mak Pack, the indoor space undergoes rigorous, continuous sanitization by a fully staffed team.

Every dog entering the program is vaccine-verified and temperament-checked, ensuring a highly structured environment where positive behavior is reinforced and safety is never compromised.

While Spencer’s deep behavioral expertise has taken him to a national consulting level, the heart of Mak Pack remains entirely local and deeply personal. The energy of the business perfectly mirrors the bustling, active lifestyle of the Mak family themselves.

Between leading a growing business and chasing after their 5-year-old daughter, Ellie, Spencer and Lauren are always on the move. They joke that their primary source of cardio these days is logging 25,000 steps a day during frequent family trips to Disneyland. When they aren't strolling down Main Street, U.S.A., they can be found attending local car shows or jamming in a backyard band with their neighbors. Ellie is a powerhouse of her own in the East Valley community. She starts school this summer at ALA in Queen Creek, all while training on the competitive gymnastics team at Aspire and the performing dance team at Dance Spot.

Naturally, the Mak household is a "pack" of its own. Spencer and Lauren share their home with six beloved dogs: Arlo and Rooster (Golden Retrievers), Loki and Chip (Doodles), Tommi (a German Shepherd), and Odin (a massive Newfoundland). Living with six dogs of all shapes, sizes, and temperaments means Spencer and Lauren truly understand the diverse needs of local pet parents. By turning a desert challenge into a premier training and behavioral asset, they’ve ensured that Chandler’s dogs can stay active, obedient, and—most importantly—cool and safe all summer long.

As proud parents to two Goldens of their own, the Mak family is Mak Pack is a proud sponsor of The Golden Rush! Check out goldenrush.com to learn more about this exciting community event and see how you can get involved

Sponsor: the Healthy Golden

2026-06-21T16:16:04Z

The Healthy Golden. Built for Forest. Made for Every Golden.

A Sponsor Story By Laura McClure

Use the code THEGOLDENRUSH25 for 25% off! In addition The Healthy Golden is giving away prize will be 6-months free of Golden Gravy (Limit 2 bottles per month) to one of our RSVP'd attendees at Barks & Brews!

Get yourself RSVP via the link and you must be present to win! https://forms.gle/CjEnEdAwupD9e4BN8

Every Golden Retriever owner, at some point, does the math.

You do it quietly, in the car on the way home from the vet, or late at night when your dog is sprawled across the foot of your bed and the house is still.

You count the years.

You think about what the research says — and the research, if you've gone looking for it, is not easy reading.

Studies show that up to 65 percent of Golden Retrievers will develop cancer during their lifetime — a stark contrast to the average cancer rate of around 25 percent in other breeds. In the 1970s, Golden Retrievers regularly lived to around 17 years old. Today, an optimistic lifespan is only around 10 to 14 years.

That number — that quiet, devastating shrinkage of time — is the reason The Healthy Golden exists.

In the summer of 2021, Chris and Sabrina Ray were new Golden Retriever owners in Arizona with a dog named Forest and a question that wouldn't leave them alone: what could they actually do to give him a longer, healthier life?

They were not veterinarians. They were not scientists. They were exactly what most of us are — people completely in love with a dog, staring down a set of statistics that felt deeply unfair, and unwilling to simply shrug and accept them.

So they started researching. Not casually — obsessively. They went into the science behind the breed's specific vulnerabilities: the joint issues that come with a large frame and an active life, the cardiac risks tied to taurine deficiency, the skin and coat sensitivities, the immune system challenges, the oxidative stress that accelerates aging.

They learned that most commercial pet supplements were either too narrow, addressing one issue in isolation, or too generic, formulated for dogs broadly rather than for the very specific biology of a Golden Retriever.

They learned that what was available on the market was, in many cases, not enough.

And then they built something better.

Golden Gravy is an 11-in-one kibble coating supplement — a superfood gravy you pour over your dog's existing food — formulated by expert pet nutritionists and manufactured by an FDA-registered, GMP-compliant facility in Idaho.

The ingredient list reads like a love letter to the Golden Retriever's specific vulnerabilities, addressed one by one.

The base is bone broth — for gut health, joint support, and hydration. Organic ginger root for sensitive stomachs.

Organic apple cider vinegar for nutrient absorption.

A dynamic trio of glucosamine HCl, MSM, and chondroitin sulfate for hips and joints.

Wild Alaskan salmon oil and taurine for heart health.

Blueberries — one of the most potent antioxidant-containing fruits — for inflammation relief and age-related cellular protection.

And a healing mushroom blend of reishi, cordyceps, maitake, chaga, lion's mane, turkey tail, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms to bolster natural immunity and help defend against severe illness.

No wheat. No corn. No soy.

No artificial preservatives.

Poultry-free for dogs with poultry allergies.

One product, poured over food, doing the work of a cabinet full of supplements most owners don't have the time or budget to manage separately.

The Healthy Golden is a Golden Retriever health and wellness brand focused on advanced nutritional research and packaging it into quick and easy to consume products that are accessible to everyone.

That last part matters.

This was never meant to be a luxury item for a niche market.

Chris and Sabrina built it because they wanted it for Forest, and they built it for every Golden owner who is doing the same quiet math and looking for a way to add more time to the answer.

Now here's where the story gets personal.

Flagstaff is Sabrina's hometown.

She knows these streets, these trails, this mountain town the way you only know a place you grew up in — the way it smells in October when the aspens are turning, the particular quality of the light in the late afternoon through the pines.

When The Golden Rush began taking shape as an event rooted in Flagstaff, Sabrina wasn't just a potential sponsor. She was someone who had been showing up to Golden Retriever gatherings across the country — someone who had already found her way to events like Goldens in Golden in Colorado, drawn by the same magnetic pull that draws every Golden owner to a field full of their favorite breed — and she understood immediately what we were trying to build.

She didn't just sponsor The Golden Rush. She became a founding partner and our Local Liaison, the person who holds the knowledge of the town and helps us make sure this event is built with Flagstaff, not just in it.

Having a Flagstaff-rooted business owner at the center of this convergence means something.

It means the Golden Rush isn't outsiders arriving with an idea for someone else's town.

It's being built, in part, by someone who loves that town the way she loves her dogs — which is to say, completely.

The Golden Rush is a celebration.

It's three days of golden fur and mountain air and people who understand each other completely because they share the specific joy of this breed.

But underneath the celebration, quietly, is something more serious: a community of people who are paying attention. Who are reading the research. Who know about the cancer statistics and the shrinking lifespans and are actively, intentionally doing everything they can to push back.

The Healthy Golden is built for those people. It was built by those people.

When you purchase from The Healthy Golden, you are supporting a small business — and you will be speaking to one of the company's founders if you reach out.

That is not a marketing line.

That is Chris and Sabrina, still at the center of everything they built, still thinking about Forest, still answering their own emails because this brand was never about scaling away from the thing that made it real.

We are proud to have them with us from the very beginning.

The Healthy Golden is a founding sponsor of The Golden Rush 2026. Learn more about Golden Gravy and the full product line at thehealthygolden.com.

goldenrusharizona.com | @azgoldenrush | #GoldenRush2026

Laura McClure is an award-winning content creator and contributing writer for Queen Creek Living magazine.

The Golden Sea: the Ultimate "Soul-Care" for You and Your Dog. It’s science.

2026-06-21T16:07:25Z

The Golden Sea: Why Massive Breed Gatherings are the Ultimate "Soul-Care" for You and Your Dog. It’s science. It’s community. It’s a lot of golden "glitter." And we wouldn't have it any other way.

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when thousands of golden-coated dogs descend upon a single town. Whether it’s the record-breaking Goldens in Golden (Colorado), which saw upwards of 5,000 retrievers flood Washington Avenue on February 7, 2026, or the burgeoning Golden Rush in Arizona, these events have evolved from simple meetups into a form of collective therapy.

To the casual observer, it is a "river of fur." But to the expert owner and the scientific community, it is a high-functioning environment designed for biological and psychological restoration. Here is the breakdown of why these gatherings are essential for the soul and the leash.

1. The Genetic Mirror: Hard-Wired for Connection

Recent breakthroughs in canine genomics have shifted our understanding of why Golden Retrievers are uniquely suited for these mass gatherings. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has identified that Goldens possess specific genetic markers, such as the ROMO1 gene, which are linked to high social attention and "affiliative behavior."

When you stand in a crowd at a "Golden Rush," you are surrounded by dogs whose DNA is literally programmed for cooperation. Unlike mixed-breed parks where "social dialects" can vary wildly, these events offer conspecific play styles. This means every dog in the crowd speaks the same "body language," reducing social friction and allowing even timid dogs to navigate the crowd without the "non-social fear" often documented in more reactive breeds.

2. The Oxytocin-Gaze Loop: A Shared Chemical High

The "Golden Glow" reported by attendees isn’t just a metaphor; it is a measurable neurochemical event. Science has documented the Oxytocin-Gaze Positive Loop, where mutual gazing between humans and dogs triggers a surge in oxytocin (the "bonding hormone") in both species.

A 2024 study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that while children have the highest oxytocin spikes with their own dogs, they also experience significant increases when interacting with unfamiliar calm dogs. In a sea of Goldens, this effect is multiplied. You are immersed in a high-density "Oxytocin Cloud" that suppresses cortisol (the stress hormone) and promotes a state of calm that can last for days after the event.

3. A Sanctuary of Shared Understanding

For the humans, these events serve as a rare "judgment-free zone." In a society that often demands perfection, being a dog owner involves constant management—cleaning "glitter" (shedding) off clothes or apologizing for a dog’s over-enthusiastic greeting.

At the Golden Rush, those social anxieties evaporate. You are surrounded by a community that understands the "Golden Rule": a muddy paw print on your shirt is a badge of honor. This identity-based community provides a sense of belonging that validates the unique joys and struggles of the breed.

Expert Reference List & Citations

Genetics & Emotion: PNAS (2025). "GWAS for behavioural traits in golden retrievers identifies genes implicated in human temperament and cognition."

The Bonding Hormone: Nagasawa, M., et al. (2015). "Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds." Science Magazine.

Social Play & Oxytocin: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Research on conspecific play styles and the use of oxytocin to promote social motivation in domestic dogs.

Human Health Benefits: Johns Hopkins Medicine. "The Friend Who Keeps You Young." (Documenting the 84% reduction in stress symptoms through canine interaction).

Pediatric Connection: NIH / NICHD (2024). "Children and their dogs have high oxytocin levels when interacting."

Arizona, what are we waiting for?

2026-06-21T16:04:35Z

The "Golden" Question: Is the Valley Sleeping on the Rush?

We see the videos every week. Thousands of Goldens taking over the streets of Golden, Colorado. Massive "Goldie Paloozas" on the California coast. The internet goes wild for the "sea of gold," and we all hit share, wishing we were there.

But here’s the puzzle: The 2026 Golden Rush is bringing that exact magic to Flagstaff, yet the Valley pack seems surprisingly quiet. As we gear up for our first official year in the pines, we have to ask... Arizona, what are we waiting for?

We Love the Local Meetups. This is Different.

We notice your check-ins! We see the dozens of awesome local Phoenix-area meetups happening every weekend—the splash pad parties, the Scottsdale canal walks, and the early-morning park romps. We love and celebrate that local energy, but the Golden Rush is different.

Think of it this way: The local meetups are incredible "practice sessions." You’re building your pup’s social skills, meeting great friends, and staying cool in the heat.

The Golden Rush is the "Championship Game."

We are not just moving from the pavement to the grass. We are building an organic, city-wide convergence. We are connecting the Valley meetups with travelers from across the Southwest and even a few "flying Goldens" from out of state. We are blending local Flagstaff culture with the massive charitable heart of the Barks & Brews festival, directly benefiting Northern Arizona rescues.

It’s the shift from a neighborhood walk to a curated VIP experience that takes over an entire mountain city.

You’re Missing the Ground Floor

We know the drive up the I-17 is a trek. We know gas prices are a conversation. But we also know that the first year of any great tradition is the most special.

The "Original Herd": Years from now, when there are 2,000 Goldens in downtown Flagstaff, you’ll want to be the one who says, "I was there for the first official Rush in '26."

The Legacy: We are creating a sense of community that will grow and become truly organic and massive. By sitting on the fence, you aren't just missing a weekend in the pines—you’re missing the birth of a brand-new Arizona tradition.

We Want to Hear From You

Is it the heat? The drive? Are you waiting for a sign? Drop a comment below and tell us what’s holding you back. We are building this for you and your dogs. If you are a dedicated local meetup regular, you are exactly who needs to be in this convoy!

Don't let the convoy leave without you. Stake your claim today.

Yes, You Should Take Your Dog on a Real Vacation This Year

2026-06-21T16:00:15Z

Yes, You Should Take Your Dog on a Real Vacation This Year

And if that dog happens to be a Golden Retriever, we have some very specific plans for October.

The Golden Rush Arizona | Flagstaff | October 2–4, 2026 goldenrusharizona.com

Your Golden Retriever has spent the past twelve months greeting you at the door like you've been gone for years, sitting quietly through your Zoom calls, and being the absolute highlight of everyone's day. They've been loyal, warm, endlessly patient, and almost certainly better behaved than at least one of your coworkers.

So when you say "it's too far" or "it's too much work" or "it's really not that necessary"... are you talking about your dog's once-a-year adventure, or are you talking yourself out of it?

The Golden Rush Arizona is coming to Flagstaff October 2–4, 2026 — and we want your whole herd there. Golden families are already joining from across Arizona, California, Nevada, and beyond. Some are flying. Some are driving four-plus hours. They are not doing this reluctantly. They know what happens when a couple hundred Golden Retrievers take over a mountain town together — and they know it's completely worth it.

This Is What It Looks Like When It Works

If you haven't heard of Goldens in Golden, Colorado, meet your proof of concept. In 2019, a woman named Joy Meadows had a simple idea: what if Golden Retriever lovers all just showed up in the same town on the same day? No big budget. No formal event. Just community.

It worked.

Wildly.

That grassroots gathering has grown to 16,000+ attendees, 5,500 Golden Retrievers, and visitors from 44 states — plus Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Turkey, Taiwan, and Argentina. The town's tourism authority now formally stewards it as a signature annual event. And here's what people said when they got there:

"This is the happiest day of the year. This is heaven on earth, people."

— Goldens in Golden attendee (KRDO13 News)

"It's a big Disneyland for them — and for us, to be honest. We laugh that he's brought us on his vacation."

— Goldens in Golden attendee (Scripps News Denver)

One attendee drove 28 hours to be there. In February. In Colorado. In the snow.

We're asking you to drive to Flagstaff in October when the highs are in the low 60s and the pines are doing their thing. You're already ahead.

But Wait, You Have Objections. Let's Talk.

"It's too far."

Flagstaff is 2.5 hours from Phoenix, 3.5 from Tucson, 4.5 from Las Vegas. We have families coming from out of state. If the 28-hour-snow-drive guy can do it, you can do I-17.

"Traveling with a dog is too much work."

Our official host hotel — the Americana Motor Hotel on historic Route 66 — has waived all pet fees for Golden Rush attendees, guaranteed 1:00 PM late checkout on Sunday, early check-in based on availability, a 72-hour cancellation policy, and complimentary welcome beverages waiting in your room. The hard parts are handled. Pack the dog bag and go.

"It's too expensive."

Attendees get a 25% group discount at the Americana using promo code LAUNCHBAY ACCESS. The itinerary is almost entirely free — a dog park, a group photo, a pup crawl (the only thing that costs but it's for a great cause Barks & Brews - don't drink? Come crawl with us anyway) through downtown. Add food and craft beers and you've had a full mountain weekend for less than a spa day. Your Golden doesn't need the spa. They have fur.

"I don't know anyone going."

You will by Saturday morning. Golden Retriever people are the easiest community on earth to fall into — nobody is guarded at an off-leash park when sixty Goldens are sprinting in the same direction for no reason. We have families coming from out of state specifically to meet new people. This is Year One. The people who show up now are the ones who become the regulars, the storytellers, the ones who bring three other families next year.

Why This Year Specifically Matters

We've been lucky enough to consult directly with Joy Meadows, the founder of Goldens in Golden, as we've built this. Her biggest piece of advice? The community that shows up in Year One sets the tone forever.

The Golden Rush Arizona is building toward something lasting — the kind of annual tradition families plan vacations around, that Flagstaff's tourism community eventually stewards as a signature event, that puts the Southwest on the map for Golden Retriever enthusiasts the way Golden, Colorado is for the rest of the country.

But first, we need the herd to show up in October 2026 and make something unforgettable happen. Wouldn't you want to say you were at the first one? You made it happen?

You don't have to know anybody. You don't have to have been before. You just have to show up with your Golden — or your honorary Golden — and let the rest take care of itself.

Find your people. Claim your spot. Stay Golden.

goldenrusharizona.com

@azgoldenrush

Making Memories with Four Paws

2026-06-21T15:56:39Z

Making Memories on Four Paws: Why Dog-Friendly Adventures Matter

If your pup could plan your weekend, it would probably involve sunshine, open space, belly rubs — and a whole pack of furry friends to romp with. That’s exactly the kind of joy you get at events like Barks & Brews or Golden Rush, Arizona’s Annual Golden Retriever Celebration: an afternoon (or whole weekend!) where dogs and their humans get to live their very best lives together. And it turns out, there’s a whole lot more to it than just adorable photos and shared belly laughs.

Because Their Time With Us Is Precious

Let’s face it: dogs don’t stick around as long as we wish they would. A beloved Golden Retriever’s average lifespan is about 10–12 years — far too short for all the adventures we imagine together. Making time for real-life memories isn’t just fun; it’s meaningful. Every head tilt, play bow, and goofy grin becomes part of the story you’ll cherish long after the paw prints fade. That’s a big reason to get out there and celebrate the everyday with your dog.

Dogs Are Social Creatures — Really

Dogs weren’t bred to be couch potatoes (no matter how good they are at it). They thrive on interaction — with people and with other dogs. Group events give pups a chance to explore, sniff, play, and learn how to communicate in a safe, stimulating environment. That kind of activity provides mental stimulation, helps build confidence, and can even reduce unwanted behaviors back at home. And a recent study from the The Dog Aging Project found that dogs with positive social interactions tend to enjoy healthier lives. Strong social bonds — with humans and other dogs alike — aren’t just heartwarming, they’re good for a dog’s wellbeing.

Humans Benefit Too

Let’s be honest: most of us could use a little more laughter and connection in our lives. Events like these offer just that. Meeting people who get it — the shed tumbleweeds, the goofy grin turns, the joy of playing fetch for the hundredth time — builds community. Studies show that social networks — even ones built around dogs — can boost our own mood, reduce stress, and expand our sense of belonging.

Whether you’re swapping stories with a neighbor or learning a new training trick from a fellow owner, those shared moments become memories you’ll treasure just as much as your pup.

It’s Good for the Whole Community

Dog-friendly events are a chance to support local businesses, connect with pet-focused brands, and build community spirit. From vendors offering treats and toys to activities the whole family can enjoy, everyone benefits when dog lovers come together.

Best of all? Every wag, every laugh, and yes — every picture-worthy floofy tail — becomes part of your dog’s story in a way that everyday walks simply can’t match.

So what are you waiting for?

Make a plan to go to the Golden Rush. You have plenty or time to plan! Grab the leash, bring the water bowl, and make a weekend out of it. Discover Flagstaff has LOTS of dog friendly spots and even more trails for hiking!

Dogs age too fast not to celebrate every joyful moment — especially the ones spent in good company.

Horse Trailer Must Haves

2024-04-01T18:57:00Z

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I know this has nothing to do with photography, but... I thought I'd share my MUST HAVES for living quarters horse trailers and/or RV's.

Hanging shower caddy....Hanging Mesh Pockets Hold 340oz/1000ml Shampoo Shower Organizer with Over the Door Hooks... this handy mesh caddy can hang off your shower and hold your items without them ending up all over the place. I have one in my home shower too. You may need to modify the hardware (I put a towel under it).... This organizer is very sturdy and looks like the picture. The fabric, mesh and grommets are a good quality. I think this will last for years and is perfect for a wet environment. The mesh pockets range in size but look perfect to me for toiletries, hairbrushes, etc.
Spongelle Body Wahs Infused Buffer: Tired of soap bars getting all messy or bottles getting thrown all around. THESE ARE AMAZING! You can get ones that last 14 washes or 30! It's a sponge/wash cloth and body wash ALL IN ONE! It’s hard to imagine how this can be so effective when you remove the wrapping. The almost solid sponge requires water and a little manipulation to get super creamy suds that feel amazing on the skin with the slightly abrasive feeling of exfoliation. The smell was fresh and clean without being overbearing and smelt ideal regardless of gender.
Having seen this particular brand used among toiletries on a cruise ship I was curious to try for myself and have since bought other scents for as a treat and as gifts.
50-Count Compressed Facial Sponges for Daily Cleansing and Gentle Exfoliating - same brand as one up above. Wish your face, exfoliate, remove makeup and throw away. No more bacteria building up! My esthetician recommended this (yellow/exfoliate) & I love it! Use & discard. It’s super thin so it’s easy to take anywhere. Great cleanse & exfoliation. Definitely been a game changer for my pores! Super happy with this product.
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13ft/4M Led Vanity Mirror Lights with Dimmer and Power Supply - Ever tired getting ready in an RV mirror. Not enough light. you might come out looking like a clown. This is awesome! Quick Installation and High Quality:Easy to install, peel off and stick. High quality adhesive backing.Nice look, perfect for your vanity mirror. They stuck so great onto my mirror, was very easy to do. Was able to trim what I didn’t need. They adjust brightness which is awesome.
Gets very dim & very bright. I’m obsessed honestly.
Magnetic Dry Erase Chore Chart - 8.5"x12" I keep one of these in my trailer and make a check list of things I need to get or do before I leave. On a steel trailer, I leave one on the door with my emergency contact in case my horse "gets in trouble". Can also be used as a ride check or message board.
Cutting Boards for Kitchen TO COVER SINK! Have more counter space when not using the sink. This size fit in my Lakota.
Retractable Screen Door Decals My dogs tried to walk THROUGH the screen door a couple times. I made a trail of geckos... so cute... so they could see the screen. Probably good for kids to... and ME!
Stainless Steel Spring Snap Hook Carabiner - I use these to quickly and easily hang my hay bags. They can slip in metal rings OR I thread the mesh bags through them after I pull the string off. No more low hanging bags!
100LBS Heavy Duty Magnetic Hooks - These are STRONG. Don't let them click together or you will have hell trying to get them apart! Hang halters on your trailer, tarps in your trailer to add shade when you are stopped... hang things inside your trailer.... so many uses! 2013_09_11__DSC8099-Edit-1LAURA MCCLURE
Blocker Tie Ring II Sure, we have all heard or used this... but I attached mine to my trailer but undoing the trailer ties and permanently put these on each tie so they are ready. I used soft covers on them tired with a rubber band when driving so they didnt scratch the trailer.
VELCRO Brand Heavy Duty Tape | 12 Foot Roll |- use to hang sport boots in the tack compartment, hang pictures on walls... when duct tape won't do, go to velcro!
US Energy Products 24" x 10' White Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation Thermal Barrier R8 Hear me out here... takes little work but VERY worth it. I cut these to fit all my living quarters windows... not only did it keep in cooler on hot days and warmer on cool days... it helped protect it when parked and even more so: dark when I wanted to sleep during the day, watch a movie or jsut have complete privacy.
Delerain Horse Lovers Spare Tire Cover - cute! No explanation needed!
Macrame Hat Hangers Boho Hat Rack Cowboy Hat Hanger cute way to hang your hat out of the way and not crushed.
LED RoadFlares! These are great to keep in your car. Flares are great, but usually only last 15-20 minutes. These little guys should light up for hours. Also, you can keep these ON the car with the magnets, on the ground, hanging with the hook, you get the idea. The come in a nice carrying case with a charging cable.
coming soon!

Cowgirls In Style

2018-04-17T16:39:23Z

I was unable to actually shoot Taci's wedding but we shot portraits back home... CGIS wanted to use them - so of course for Taci I said yes!

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We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine

2016-11-21T22:20:48Z

See Magazine HERE. Images to post soon.

Cover and article photos for Mark Alan Keyser and his stallion Crue

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Dressage Today July 2017

2016-07-10T16:15:24Z

The Freisen and the Andalusian doing the spanish walk and the same Andalusian one the second page

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Cowgirl Beauty

2016-05-10T14:46:27Z

2013_02_07__DSC2592-EditLAURA MCCLURE

Professionals Choice

2016-04-26T21:27:36Z

My photo of Tomas G appears in the Professionals Choice ads in the Quarter Horse publications "America's Horse" and the "American Quarter Horse Journal" May of 2016

Scan

Sable Ranch Friesian Horses

2016-02-06T19:00:33Z

sable ranch

Sable Ranch Friesian Horses

2016 Cowgirls In Style Media Kit

2015-12-24T15:51:23Z

Although I have stopped pursuing fashion cowgirl photography and getting published. I received a message for Cowgirls in Style Magazine wanting to use my image of Taci Schaffer for the Media Kit cover. If Taci wants to do it - I'm in.

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American Cancer Society: Bark For Life Valley Center, CA

2015-09-21T14:35:16Z

I donated my time and photos for this great cause. Please join us next year at Bark for Life part of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Valley Center, CA and bring your pups! Don't forget to check out their FACEBOOK page!

San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Sept 2015

2015-08-28T22:10:35Z

Use www.sandiegohomegarden.com. For now, on the right, click on Digital Editions and go to pages 62-63. The article and photos cover 8 pages.

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June 2015 Success Magazine for La-Vel

2015-06-06T18:11:36Z

My photo of Tilly Jenkins and her horse in Success Magazine!

2015 June/July Cowgirls In Style Magazine

2015-06-05T18:23:08Z

Thank you:

Myrtle Creek Nursery in Fallbrook, CA
the Ranch at Bandy Canyon in Escondido, CA
Marrika Nakk
Rockin Vintage
Up Your Alley
Nichol and Courtney, my models, from Hidden Hills Equestrian Ranch
Tilly Jenkins (Le-Vel!)
Jess Harper of Hoof Beat
Soros Mediterranean Grill
Spoiled Cowgirlz Designs By Misty Farmsworth
Leah Lane and her horse Kazan

See the online magazine here: http://cowgirlsinstyle.com/june_july15.htm

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Green Ridge Ranch Branding 2015 Album

2015-05-05T15:20:04Z

I need model releases from:

Jake Gibbs
Sean Hansell
Jama Mccluskey
Garrett Butler

I have signed releases but I need these people to contact me to complete:

Jesse Spencer

I have completed model releases from:

Megan Reardon
Tina Denmark

2015 Cowgirls In Style Wedding Issue

2015-04-02T14:01:38Z

To see actual digital online issue go to: http://issuu.com/cowgirlsinstyle/docs/bridal_2015ones1

Thank you Hidden Hills Equestrian Ranch in Bonsall, CA and Nichol Payne for modeling for me with her Arabian horses! The wedding dress is vintage, mine from 1988. Necklace is Shuzi.

Kendall Gibbs modeled for me with her husbands rope horse and her Ashbury hat, DD Ranch/Lane Boots.

Jess Harper of HoofBeat Equine Therapy is my hotel at Bandy Canyon Ranch ad and Mellissa met calf is my Cowgirl Fit promo while Jamie Frontz rounds out the bunch in the new Cowgirl Fit ad with her horse Barbie

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Horse Family Magazine Interview!

2015-03-13T16:35:46Z

Buckle for my Cowgirl of the Year Contest 2014

2015-03-13T16:27:57Z

Thank you Sierra Custom Leather and Rolano Leather for the sponsorship! Paige O'Byrne loved it!

Cowgirls In Style Valentines Issue Online

2015-02-11T15:18:35Z

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Dressage Today Cover and Inside Pics

2015-01-01T23:58:24Z

Thanks Sarah and Joy for choosing me to shoot for your article! We got the cover! yay! Check out Sarah's training at Sunhill!

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Cowgirls In Style Winter Print Edition

2014-12-06T14:54:41Z

More photos coming soon! My photography is featured in the Cowgirls In Style Magazine Rodeo Runway with Taci (Miss Rodeo Arizona), necklace by Olav Jules Designs by Cat Sandstrom, inside is Amanda and my ad with Jess. The background for taxi's photo is the place I board, The Ranch at Bandy Canyon in Escondido, CA.

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Cowgirls In Style Winter Online Issue

2014-10-24T16:02:27Z

Cowgirls in Style Magazine: Online, in Barnes and Noble bookstores, the Tractor Supply stores, and other western wear stores. Issues given at the CMA Country Music Fair in Nashville in June, Miss Rodeo America Pageant and the NFR in Vegas each December not to mention advertising on Country websites. CGIS is featured on Salt Lake City’s “Daily Dish” morning television show which is seen in Utah, parts of ID, NV, WY and AZ. recast our publication will be averaging over 100,000 in readership.
NFR Winter 2014 Edition - cover and article on Taci Schaffer, Miss Rodeo Arizona - read it here!

OTHER ISSUES I HAVE DONE!

Cowgirl Fit Online Magazine - Summer 2014
Summer Print Issue 2014: Featured photos in editorial, my own ads
Valentines Online Issue 2014: Featured photos in editorial. My own one page ad

Summer 2013: "Around the Barrel" section: I campaigned to get my model Jordan featured. Table of contents and feature article photo on "Bling". My own advertisement

Spring 2013: Spring Fashions. Rodeo Runway editorial, four pages of my photos. My own advertisement

Winter 2012: The issue that gets heavily distributed at the NFR. Article on Meredith Lockhart Midwest Model contest winner. My own advertisement

Fall 2012: "Around the Barrel" section: I campaigned to get my model Taci featured (2014 Miss Rodeo AZ). Table of contents Image. My own advertisement

a special thank you to Olav Jules Designs. :) I did not realize they were choosing photos with your designs in them too!

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Cowgirl Fit with my Photos of Mellissa!

2014-07-09T01:11:22Z

Thanks Cowgirls In Style!!! See online magazine here: http://cowgirlfit.com/summer2014.html

Please join me on my facebook for more updates than on here! https://www.facebook.com/photosbylauram

I had been telling John Kealy how I was always looking for girls to shoot for free to practice and to submit to magazines, who sometimes email me asking if I have anything to submit. He had a friend coming in from Florida, Melissa, "Let's set it up!" I said! So, we touched base via text and Facebook, planning a shoot around their team sorting event during her stay.

Melissa was so nice, we met the day before the shoot while riding, we talked about the shoot the next day and what to expect, what to bring etc. I was immediately happy, she's not only beautiful but a very VERY nice and open person. I was surprised to find out she was a police officer! Not sure why I was so surprised.. I have worked with a lot of very beautiful professional horsewomen, maybe it's all that comes with being a police officer... it just impresses me!

Melissa spent the morning grooming up the horses - she had several ready to go by they time we met, they looked great. For the horses, I particularly wanted to use the cute little blue roan mare that john had brought back from Montana (was it Wyoming?). She's for sale I believe for those interested. I think she has great lines and sorts, is really handy!

Melissa and I "winged it' as I often do... shooting, sorting through outfits and locations at San Pasqual Valley Ranch (where I board and John rides for Lynn Devenport). It was fun, a lot of fun!

I was pretty happy with the results. Melissa got copies of all the unedited as well as edited images to keep... and I submitted for the magazine. I still have lots I can go back and edit - so many good ones! Watch my facebook page for more!

I am always looking for models, both experienced and non-experienced - in and around Escondido for free shoots. I have lots of contacts at the magazines to submit... so contact me! It will be fun!

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Reading and Writing With Gina McNight

2014-06-17T14:24:23Z

Friday, March 1, 2013

Laura McClure

Laura McClure has traveled the world loving horses. A famous photographer of the Western lifestyle, Laura has photographed for well known Western designers and retailers such as Cowgirl Kim, Meredith Lockhart Collections, Brit West, and Olav Jules Designs by Cat Sandstrom, to name a few. She is a key photographer for Heritage Brand horse tack. Her award winning photography has been showcased in magazines including, Country Life, Cowgirls in Style and Cowgirl Magazine. She is an all-around equestrian and knows how to capture the soul of the horse and the heart of a cowgirl…

Welcome, Laura!

What was your first encounter with a horse?

I have a few really early memories that stand out.

When I was little, I was horse crazy - briers not Barbies… the earliest memories I have of being with horses was when I was three in Houston, Texas, where I am originally from. My dad used to take us to a place called Kiddie Wonderland on weekends. Kiddie Wonderland was one of those little home town kid amusement parks with carnival and pony rides. The pony rides was all I did. There was a row of horses and ponies of all sizes and three half tracks, one for walk, one for trot, one for running. I can remember doing the running. You'd give your ticket and choose your speed. They would put you on a horse with the reins tied to the saddle, you held onto the horn. Once they got you in position they'd hit the horse with a cut off rubber hose to make him go… I assume the more/harder they hit meant faster - and/or they knew to go whichever speed according to the track they were in.

In 1970, when I was about four, we moved to England and lived/stayed at the Selsdon Park Hotel , a great country estate hotel. They had a proper British cobblestone stable and Pony Club. I took lessons and trail rode until we moved to our home in Epsom. The home my parents bought had a backyard overlooking a race horse stable. I used to run, climb the back fence every morning to watch the trainers work out the horses. When they were done, they'd hand walk them down our street (called the Ridings). Every now and again one would get loose. I had a plan to catch one and keep it. Well, the day came I saw one loose and, at six, I ran out into the street in front of the running horse and caught it. There were witnesses and I guess the handler and neighbors were about to have a heart attack watching a six year old run into the street to catch a young, runaway thoroughbred. I I also used to trek down the bridle paths and hop cross many fields to go play with the gypsies horses in their fields near their caravans.

What is your favorite breed?

I am partial to American Quarter Horse. I love their versatility and build. I lived with my uncle in New Mexico who bred and raced them. He got me hooked.

What is your riding discipline?

I ride Western. I used to barrel race (rodeo) and have dabbled in reining, ridden friends cutting horses etc. I used to take English lessons when I lived in Hong Kong since that was all they offered. I really developed a good seat, had great instructors, but went back to Western when I moved back to the states.

Where do you like to ride?

I love arena work. Good ground, you can get in the zone when working on exercises. I also like to be around working ranches and play with cattle. With that said, I love trails… desert, mountains, trees or plains… it’s all beautiful. I have ridden my horses on the beach several times too - looking forward to that when I get back to the coast.

Why did you leave corporate America to be an equine photographer?

The main reason to leave corporate America was to get my daughter to a small town and out of the city. I used photography to supplement my income short falls initially.

Do you have a favorite photo shoot anecdote?

Yes! Kimberly G and I were shooting in a ghost town in Nevada. We were done with the shoot, had wrapped it up. Kimberly was walking in front of me and I heard a gasp. A little girl, she had to be about 10, saw Kimberly's mare and was in love, mesmerized, in awe. I heard her say to her mom, "Do you think she will let me pet her?" I then heard her mom nicely tell her to not ask. I totted ahead to Kimberly and told her what I heard. Kimberly turned around and called to the little girl, "Of course you can pet her, her name is Sadie!". You wouldn't believe how that little girl’s face lit up! She looked at her mom for the OK (and got it) and skipped over to Sadie and Kimberly. Kimberly asked if she wanted to get on her (Sadie was saddled). We lifted her onto the saddle and oh my… I can not even explain how much joy it brought us to see the joy in that little girls face!

Traveling to location must be thrilling.
What has been your favorite location?

My favorite location so far has been the desert, both in Nevada and Arizona. I spent many, many years living there and I just love it.

You've worked for many magazines and fashion designers.
Do you have a favorite shot?

My favorite shots have to be the ones Taci and I did on the Salt River outside Mesa, Arizona. We were shooting for Cowgirl Kim and had borrowed a Rockin Vintage guitar. It was the first time Taci and I met and it was the hottest day on record in Arizona by that day in May 2012. It was evening and over 105. Coming from the midwest, it might as well have been 150. Taci was great to work with, as was her mare Diva. A fellow photographer was nearby and actually lent us a hand for the last hour. He was really nice. The wild Mustangs apparently watered near where we were and a band of mares and foals filtered in. The favorite shot from that day was probably when Taci was sitting on a log, looking like she was playing guitar with her buckskin mare standing behind her.

Taci at Salt River, Mesa, Arizona, USA

Your photography is gorgeous.

What is your trick to making horse and rider look their best?

Thank you! Lighting is key. I shoot with off camera flash… in the sun, in the shade - all the time. To look best I usually shoot in the shade or into the sun, both the model and horse are more comfortable that way. Another big tip - don't fight the horse and don't stop modeling if horse acts up. If a horse gets mad, it's all over for the horse and model. Let the horse dictate the pose and keep a model face on… inevitably, if you are making faces while pulling on the horse, that's the shot where the horse looks good and now you don't. Fake it!

What are your goals as an equestrian and a photographer?

I am training my now four year old filly. She is/will be an all around horse but she is bred for barrels. I gave up barrels years ago… so, maybe I'd like to win a couple more buckles and saddles with her. Mostly just to enjoy the ride and not take it too seriously.

As a photographer, I will probably get more business minded when I go to California. Right now, with the move on the horizon… I am kind of coasting. I'd like to be known as the go-to for Western and Cowgirl fashion/High End Portraiture. Working on it!

What is the best way to contact you for a portrait?

Through my website http://www.lauramcclurephotography.com/

For Laura's complete bio, visit http://www.lauramcclurephotography.com/

Follow Laura...
http://www.lauramcclurephotography.com/
https://www.facebook.com/photosbylauram
https://twitter.com/cowgirlphotos

Midwest Model Search Covered By Western Glamour

2014-06-17T14:22:03Z

Calling All Cowgirls…. http://www.westernglamour.com/2012/07/02/calling-all-cowgirls/

Posted by Suzie Salmon on Jul 2, 2012 in Past Issues, People & Places | 0 comments

I have featured her amazing work and obviously hit a lucky streak when she agreed to shoot our fashion spread for our first Style Guide and now Laura McClure is giving a few lucky cowgirls a chance of a lifetime. Laura is holding her first of hopefully many model searches. After hearing her idea, I just knew WG had to take part in it. WG has the privilege of getting to feature many of the finalists as well as special feature for the winners. And that’s not all…….we are working on some special prizes!. So you get to shoot with probably one of the most talented photographers around, we get to help make you famous here on Western Glamour, and you get prizes! This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. Visit here for more details! As we get going, you will be seeing a special tab here with all the latest news straight from Laura herself!

Good luck and I can’t wait to see all the beautiful entries!

Interested in being a sponsor of this contest? Please contact us for more details.

Western Glamour Blog About Cowgirl Kim Featuring My Photos

2014-06-17T14:20:01Z

Cowgirl Kim: http://www.westernglamour.com/2012/06/04/cowgirl-kim/

Posted by Suzie Salmon on Jun 4, 2012 in Fashion, Past Issues | 2 comments

Nothing inspires me more than meeting boutique owners or designers who are truly passionate about western fashion. These people are the ones responsible for breathing new life into fashion and pushing the envelope when it comes to how western fashion is perceived. They fearlessly showcase their passions and in turn make us fall in love with this style time and time again. One of these people is Cowgirl Kim. Cowgirl Kim Unique Western Chic has raised the bar when it comes to showcasing styles that are both timeless and high fashion. After seeing her stunning photos on Facebook. I was struck by the almost Vogue quality of her presentation and styling. I just knew I had to feature her here on WG.

Kim kindly shared with me the story of her wonderful online store, her passion for the western style, and who inspires her.

Gorgeous Cowgirl Kim and Tasha Polizzi

The beginning..

My husband of 25 years and I were having financial issues and concerned about paying our bills and I had very expensive taste in clothes, so I bought a mannequin and dressed her up with my clothes and jewelry and belts and started selling my stuff on eBay. People went nuts! They wanted everything. The entire outfit. I had been a commercial artist before God blessed me with two daughters and once they placed those babies in my arms, I quit work to raise them. This eBay thing was an avenue to express my creative side again. And really it just grew from there and my customers grew and wanted more. Probably my biggest reason for success is the personal service I give each customer from matching things together and taking photos for them and providing measurements. People need help putting something together for a Cattle Barons Ball and they call me. It’s fun and I’ve grown to love these ladies on a real personal level. They share their lives with me. Their problems, their joys, their families and more. It’s a precious thing. I’m a strong Christian woman and I feel God’s right smack in the middle of all this bringing blessings in my life with these ladies and allowing me to love on them as well.

Kim’s personal style..
I’ve always been a non-conformist and dressed a little bit different and more edgy than my friends….and always showing my love for the cowgirl way of life by adding a hat, a pair of boots, a big honkin’ concho belt or turquoise jewelry. It’s all about the attitude when it comes to pullin’ it off!

Trends and Cowgirls…

As for trends impacting western fashion. These cowgirl women are independent, free thinking and free spirited. They carry themselves in a way that makes others look. And that is was I feel impacts fashion. When we see a confident, well dressed woman that’s unique, we cowgirls aren’t threatened. We admire her individuality and take it all in. We share fashion ideas with each other and somehow they work~because these women have a presence and a dignity about them that makes others want to emulate them.

Inspiration…

When I go to market I visit the woman I respect, not just for their eye for fashion but for the amazing women they are. Women like Patricia Wolf, Pat Dahnke, Tasha Polizzi, the DD Ranch ladies etc… They are true trailblazers that took a chance on something that wasn’t mainstream and created a style all their own. I look for that.

Photographer of these AMAZING photos: Laura McClure

Passion is at the heart of all cowgirls and Kim’s talents help western loving woman show case their own unique styles in magnificent ways. And I must say if there was a woman I would love to play dress up with Cowgirl Kim is one of them.

Please take a moment to go visit Cowgirl Kim’s website, Facebook, and Twitter!

Country Life Magazine Summer 2014

2014-05-15T14:29:39Z

Thank you so much Country Life Magazine! My photo appeared in the wonderful article about my friend Marrika Nakk - who I shoot for! The cover is by the talented and well known Dianna Volk and is here as reference as to which magazine it is. Thank you Madeline, Sophia, Leah and Tressie for modeling for me. A HUGE thank you to Olav Jules Designs by Cat Sandstrom for the jewelry use in the photos! Also thank you to Lane Boots for the DD Ranch/ Ammunition boots Tressie is wearing in the blue pic! Heritage Brand for the headstall Cisco (my horse) is wearing.

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Western & Rodeo Lifestyle Magazine Summer 2014

2014-05-03T23:46:36Z

Western & Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine Summer 2014

Laura McClure Photography (facebook page)

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Cowgirls In Style Spring/Summer 2014 Print Issue

2014-04-29T19:06:21Z

Please share and pass the word along! They are shipping out the latest issue of Cowgirls In Style Magazine this week! Thank you Marriak Nakk, Olav Jules Designs, Heritage Brand Tack, and my models Mellissa and Leah!

Single issue or subscription? Go to www.cowgirlsinstyle.com/subscribe.html

Preview issue here: http://issuu.com/cowgirlsinstyle/docs/spring_summer_onlinesample/3?e=2864341%2F7644781

Cover - I did not shoot, just a reference!

Marrika Nakk at Up Your Alley

2014-04-13T15:43:56Z

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When visiting beautiful Temecula wine country, don’t forget to stop by this world famous destination boutique!

Up Your Alley
28480 Front Street
Temecula, CA 92590
(951)308-1930
www.marrikanakk.com

Marrika Nakk Photography & Ad Creation

2014-04-12T16:33:00Z

Cowgirl Magazine Winter 2013

cowgirl dec 2013

Thought I would share the ads I designed and also shot for the designer Marrika Nakk that appear on facing pages in Cowgirl Magazine Winter 2012! Pages 28 and29! Marrika was so kind as to insist I put my name on the ads too. We used some of Olav Jules Designs by Cat Sandstorm jewelry on the model, Tressie, on the left.The model on the right is Leah. Both ride/show reining horses. Thank you also to Heritage Brand Tack, San Pasqual Valley Ranch,

Cowgirl Magazine Spring 2014

cowgirl quarter page ad

Cowgirl Magazine Summer 2014

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Senior Session Outside Las Vegas nevada

2014-03-17T20:58:07Z

More coming soon! Ask about YOUR senior session!

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Maverick Style Blog about my Photography Feb 2013

2014-02-03T20:38:49Z

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Maverick Style Blog on Marrika Nakk, Olav Jules and My photography!

2014-02-03T20:36:56Z

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Cowgirls In Style Online Valentines Issue

2014-02-01T17:43:52Z

Click this link to see a lot of my Marrika Nakk images in the valentines issue!!!

CLICK HERE FOR COWGIRLS IN STYLE

screen shots of my stuff:

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Country Life December 2013

2013-12-11T20:08:25Z

I made the cover and another article about me in Country Life Magazine! thank you Cat Sandstorm for your wonderful jewelry designs!!!

Model on cover is Tressie Childs.

In article are the photos of Mark Alan Keyser on Trigger.... Lauren on Blitz (a special thank you once again to Spur Cross Stables in Cave Creek for allowing us the use of horses and a trail guide!).

My friend Leah Lane and Kazan, her reining horse are on the right at Poway Equestrian Center.

Next page is Tressie again in Marrika Nakk Vintage dress on her horse Hank at where she works: Brenda Brown Reinigng Horses in Temecula.

To the right is Jamie Frontz and her horse in Sierra Custom Leather chinks in Las Vegas.

Taci Shaefer (Miss Rodeo Arizona 2014) is in my ad and the past cover of Kim bery Gora and her horse Sadie was taken at Nelson Nevada ghost town.

I also included the page of past covers... Taci is wearing Brit West form a shoot I did for Brit early in 2013 and Kimberly Gora graced the cover with her barrel racing mare Sadie in 2012 shot in Nelson Nevada ghost town.
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ESCONDIDO!

2013-09-05T18:50:06Z

I made it to Escondido! Our caravan of truck, trailer, horse, two dogs (Aussies), our car and my husband... took us 3 days to do 2,300 miles and we were tired! I did find two very nice stops where you can keep your horse over night AND there is a place for people to stay too. One in Tulsa, the other in Albuquerque. See the links below on top of the images from each place. SUCH nice people!

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$75 apt $15 horse
Thurman Quarter Horses
Danny and Vicki Thurman
8050 Old North Road
Tel: 918-245-6839
Email: [email protected]
Website: theranchok.com
Facilities: Two bedroom furnished apartment with two queen size beds. Kitchen, laundry facilities, direct tv, internet access. Inside stalls or out side area with loafing shed. Shavings available for additional cost.
Location: Located 15 minutes from Tulsa Fairgrounds ( Expo Square). We have easy access to Highway, 75, Interstate 44 or 244. One mile north of 412, 51-64.

1238051_10201389250003476_1823296608_n Broken M Ranch, Duke and Susan Miller
2913 Gun Club Road, S.W.
Albuquerque, NM 87121
Tel: Ranch - 505-877-9433
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.broken-m-ranch.com

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Fergie at San Pasqual Valley Ranch:

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Cowgirls In Style Summer 2013

2013-07-22T11:51:22Z

Screen Shot 2013-07-12 at 8.22.50 AM image of Jordan on her white horse

Screen Shot 2013-07-12 at 8.22.56 AM Image of Jamie and Bling her horse

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Screen Shot 2013-07-12 at 8.23.51 AM Jordan and her horses in a feature article

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two images of Jordan and her white horse

Heritage Brand Misc

2013-07-07T13:48:34Z

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Southern Nevada Equestrian

2013-07-07T13:48:19Z

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Cowgirl Kim Misc

2013-07-07T13:39:50Z

In addition to the advertisements, catalog and website work I did for Kim, my work has appeared in many of her banners. Here are a few.

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BritWest

2013-07-07T13:28:13Z

BritWest catalog, ads, website. Here is ad in Cowboys and Indians Magazine (cover posted for reference).

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People Weekly Country Edition Cowgirl Kim Ad

2013-05-04T15:08:37Z

My two images of Lane Boots

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Cowgirls In Style Spring 2013 Rodeo Runway Feature

2013-04-12T22:10:01Z

Check out my photos in the Spring Issue of Cowgirls In Style (cover is not mine, put here for reference)

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Country Life Magazine April 2013

2013-04-09T19:41:02Z

My image was on the Country Life cover and several mages were in the article about Brit West.

Cowgirl Magazine Cover january 2013

2013-01-08T00:45:02Z

My image is on the cover of Cowgirl Magazine January 2013 and I am in the contributors page!

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I am on the cover of Platinum Performance Equine!

2013-01-02T20:41:55Z

I am on the cover of Platinum Performance Equine with my filly Fergie Fire Water!

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My Western Glamour Interview

2012-11-28T16:30:00Z

Capturing the Beauty of Cowgirls: Laura McClure

I am a believer of signs. Last week I was knocked down in awe by the beauty of Cowgirl Kim’s photos and not two hours later received an email from my good friend at Rockin’ Vintage about a wonderful talent I just had to feature. This was my introduction to the immense talent of Laura McClure. Laura’s photographs hands down have to be some of the best I have seen showcasing the western woman. They are truly indescribable.

Now it does not require words to showcase just how fabulously Laura captures cowgirls. But I asked Laura to share with us the passion behind her work and she so kindly agreed. Prepare to be inspired and fall in love with Cowgirl Glitterati!

Tell us a little about you and your amazing business
Well, it’s just me. I started shooting photos in about 2003 in Wickenburg Arizona.. I was working in Las Vegas, wearing suits and heels, raising my daughter and barrel racing on the weekends. I decided to move back to a small town for my daughters high school and to get back to my roots, somewhere I could breathe but wasn’t sure where to go. I was driving though Wickenburg one night on my way to a friends guest ranch in Tuscon when I decided to stop, water my horse, stay the night and leave early in the morning for the final leg of my trip. I woke up, had breakfast at the cowboy cafe and was in awe of the small town I was in. I picked up a paper at breakfast, saw the job on the ranch, applied, checked out the high school and found a place to live before I called my friend and told him I wasn’t going to make it. I stayed for a long weekend and explored with my horse. Within two weeks I was living in Wickenburg with my daughter.

The salary on the ranch wasn’t near at all to what I had been making in Vegas and really hard to live on. I decided to supplement my income by creating opportunities for myself. One was a website calledwickenburghorse.com and one was photographing horses. My camera was not professional grade and I worked real hard but I did ok. Mostly shot events and horses I was marketing. I did shoot my daughter and her friends to practice my people shooting, but it was mostly horses. I moved to Prescott after Wickenburg and eventually back into the city, this time Phoenix, once my daughter was out of high school. I started office work again and hung up the photography, and horse, for awhile.

Fast forward to 2008. I had met my husband and we were moving to Chicago in a few months. I splurged on a new camera, a nice one, and started shooting again. This time I decided to pursue every and any means of photography education and study different styles and experiment with lighting. I started shooting models. The horse bug reemerged and so I began shooting horses again. It was only natural that I mix the two eventually. If the model didn’t have a horse, I used my own in the shot. I ride western and was trying to find those kind of cowgirls in the Chicago area. I wasn’t easy. I also found out you can’t just dress someone like a cowgirl… there was something inside that makes them different. With that said, I don’t think real cowgirl HAS to work on a ranch, or even have a horse. There are many types of cowgirls… it’s in the heart and in the blood.

Since I still travel back a couple times a year to Vegas and Phoenix to visit family, I decided to find my shots there. I still knew some friends who barrel raced and knew they knew other cowgirls. I started setting up shoots when I was visiting of friends via friends offering trade (they get free images for letting me shoot them). It was a win-win. I found it is what I loved to shoot and at that moment I stopped shooting most everything else and made the decision this is what I was going to do.

I do have to say meeting Cowgirl Kim and working with her has really helped my work and I appreciate her so much. She styles many of my shoots and provides the outfits for the girls to wear. We really have developed some cool stuff as a team. Rockin Vintage is another company I approached before a shoot. They let me use some fantastic guitars as props. It’s amazing what direction things take with a prop like a flashy guitar!

My work? It’s about not only shooting but the whole experience. When I shoot you may get a whole wardrobe, bling for your horse (Heritage Brand is sponsoring me, lending me great horse gear for the shots) and you are the star of the show. Reminds me of that song, “whatever makes you feel like a rock star”. My models are Western rock stars when shooting. It’s really fun, I give instruction on how to move if they need it. By the time we wrap, I think the girls feel like a million bucks and that ‘s important to me. I’m in this to make people happy while creating something special.

What inspired you to specialize in photographing cowgirls?

The whole imagery around cowgirls. They can be glamorous, beautiful yet tough, strong and have these fantastic relationships with their animals, which is one thing I often try to capture. The animal relationships mean a lot to me. They can dress down or dress up, doesn’t matter. I do like shooting cowboys too but I think the difference is I can project my feelings/imagery more into the cowgirls. I guess I put myself or what I’d like to have or see myself into the image.

I also really REALLY want to do my share to promote and save the Western heritage we have. I grew up watching Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. I’d have to say they influenced me. If my images keep some part of the West alive or spark a little girls imagination to want to be that glamorous cowgirl in the picture, I have done my job.

What is it about the western style do you feel is so appealing and glamorous?

I got the word “Glitterati” from the old Hollywood days when there was that touch of glamour in the whole feeling around the Hollywood cowboys both in how they looked and what they wore. I think there are many types of Western Style but I like to try to add that “Hollywood” or “rock star” appeal. Look at he the clothes today. It’s like the days of the Rhinestone cowboy are back but with a modern twist. Cowgirls are glamorous again! Bling with rock and roll and a little boho on the horse and off. It’s also that sense of freedom, not far from the sense of freedom that the image of the Harley rider gives you. It’s glamorous,a bit wild and free both tough and strong while feminine.

What can we expect from Cowgirl Glitterati next?

Well, I am hoping to find some companies to create relationships with be it product placement in the images or shooting for ads / websites. I would love to do some win-win situations as partners and work for them not once, but develop a relationship. I’m really in no hurry. I’d like to meet more fantastic people and have more amazing experiences. I mean from the models I meet, the places I go and the people in the companies. There are so many incredible people behind the scenes. I am still hoping to move back to the SouthWest sooner than later. It’s where my heart is. There is a chance San Diego might be in the plans. Keeping my fingers crossed. Being half Mexican myself, I’d love to be able to throw a little more Spanish influence in!

Any parting words such as favorite quotes or the #1 style tip you have for cowgirls

My favorite quote has to be the classic

“Cowgirl is an attitude, really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she’s just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut.”
Dale Evans Rogers, Los Angeles, 1992

What is your best style tip?hmmmmm, get a good vintage looking concho belt. It’s so versatile, non bulky and can even be thrown over a tank top and instantly dress up an outfit.

Cowgirls In Style Winter 2012

2012-11-28T16:07:26Z

Check out my images in the Winter issue of Cowgirls In Style!

Thanks you Cowgirl Kim, Heritage Brand Tack, Meredith Lockhardt Collections, Amanda McKenzie, Clair Latronica Hair & Makeup and Royal Lusitano Farm in St. Charles, Illinois and especially Cowgirls In Style Magazine

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Cowboys & Indians Cowgirl Kim ad December 2012

2012-11-27T16:15:00Z

603535_350336901711467_1858832493_n Check out the current issue of Cowboys and Indians! My two images of Lane Boots/Double D Ranchwear appear in an ad!

Cowgirls In Style Fall 2012

2012-09-06T15:15:00Z

Check out the current issue of Cowgirls In Style Magazine! I have my shoot with Taci as the feature photos in “Around the Barrel”. I believe it’s three full page photos. Waiting for my hard copy and will update the post

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2012 Western Design Conference w/ Meredith Lockhart Collections

2012-09-01T15:30:00Z

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The 20th Annual Western Design Conference.

Check my image out on the bottom of the article on Maverick Style & photo credit (which I appreciate)

Meredith Lockhardt Collections was in Jackson Hole for the Western Design Conference 2012. My image was on the poster for the conference (see other post) and I just saw this. I guess she won an award. In the photo you can see my image of Bobbi Jeen Olsen behind her.

Looking forward to copies of all the products they printed my image on!

Here are some candids with my photos on the posters and hand outs by display….

Hey! You can see my image of Bobbi on the poster for the 2012 Western Design Conference. As I understand it, in the next year it will also be on many marketing materials for them

Country Life Magazine - Netherlands - Cover and Article June 2012

2012-06-01T15:45:00Z

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Platinum Performance Equine Las Vegas

2012-06-01T15:45:00Z

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Platinum Performance Ad! Southern Nevada Equestrian Magazine

Country Life Magazine - Netherlands March 2012 - Cover & Article!

2012-03-01T16:45:00Z

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Cowboys and Indians March 2012 Cowgirl Kim Ad

2012-03-01T16:45:00Z

Cowgirl Kim ad March 2012 Cowboys & Indians Magazine

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Ford Models Scottsdale

2012-03-01T16:30:00Z

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I had a privilege of working with Jennifer Monge in Arizona a couple weeks ago. She was just signed with Ford Models in Scottsdale. We were shooting for Cowgirl Kim… a Double D Ranchwear dress. She submitted this image and they are using it on their website. Yay!

I REALLY don’t want to forget to thank Cowgirl Kim! I am lucky to photograph for her and her beautiful clothes and everything she does to help promote my photography!

Ford Model Site - look for Jennifer Monge

Platinum Performance Canine 2012

2012-03-01T16:30:00Z

Platinum Performance Canine Calendar 2013 Mr. July

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Maverick Style - Western Design Conference 2012

2012-02-14T08:45:00Z

Vintage Collection - Cowgirl Kim Unique Western Chic and My Photography

2012-02-03T08:43:00Z

maverick style vintage colleciton

World of Horses Book

2012-02-02T16:30:00Z

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World of Horses Book – Featuring my image of a Lusitano Horse

In 2013 by image will be used in a children’s book.

The series is World of Horses and the edition is about Lusitanos

Reprinted with Permission from Publisher

Here is the publishers site: http://www.rosenpublishing.com/index.php

To Kay Laake, IALHA, V.P. and to Lisa Diersen and Dr. Nancy Holman from

The Royal Lusitano Farm in St. Charles, Illinois

Published in 2013 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Editor: Amelie von Zumbusch

Book Design: Kate Laczynski

Horse Capades at the Illinois State Fair

2012-01-31T16:30:00Z

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Horse-Capades at Illinois Horse Fair Tear Sheet

My photo of an Andalusian side passing (image above) is in the television ad, mailer and website…

Mailer: http://www.horsemenscouncil.org/HorseFair/PDFs/PromoMailer.pdf

The Illinois Horse Fair 8-page promotional brochure has been mailed to 30,000 horse owners in Illinois and parts of surrounding states. It’s just one of the tools we use to produce more than 10,000 attendees — bona fide horsemen all!

2012 Popular Hotrodding Photo Contest - Second Place!

2012-01-04T16:30:00Z

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Popular Hotrodding Magazine 2011 Photo Contest Second Place!

2011 WPPI FJ Wescott Shoot Out Second Place

2011-12-01T16:45:00Z

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2011 WPPI Las Vegas Wescott Shootout Second Place!

Smart Like Juice Inc

2011-12-01T16:30:00Z

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Reiner Magazine Tear Sheet – Smart Like Juice LLC

2010 FJ Wescott Shoot Out at Photoshop World - Third Place

2011-11-28T16:45:00Z

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2010 FJ Wescott Photoshop World Shoot Out Third Place

Cowgirl Magazine May/June 2011

2011-05-31T15:45:00Z

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Tear Sheet from Cowgirl Magazine

Westcott 1800-watt Spiderlite TD5 2-Light Perfect Portrait Kit $500 FOR SALE (pick up only)

2011-01-31T18:25:00Z

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1800-watt Spiderlite TD5 2-Light Perfect Portrait Kit

See on Wescott Site

SKU: 4894 | Retail value: $1,799.90

1800 watts of daylight power
Cost savings kit
Our most popular portrait kit
Adjust light output
Built in adapter ring

All metal construction.

The Spiderlite TD5 is constructed of all-metal, no plastic to break.

Built in adapter ring.

No need for additional brackets as this unit incorporates a built in adapter ring. Simply insert the soft box rods into the four openings. For easier set up, one softbox rod insertion point is cut out at the top. This allows the last soft box rod to simply slide into place.

180-degree rotation.

Using the oversized handle and lock-down turn knob, rotate the light head 180-degrees and turn your softbox from a vertical to horizontal position in seconds.

True daylight color.

Here at Westcott, we only offer the best. This lamp is true daylight color temperature. Don't settle for imitations that can shift color up to 400-degrees.

Long lasting results.

Unlike photofloods that only last up to 60 hours, this lamp is rated for over 8,000 hours of consistent performance and color.

Stay cool.

No need to worry about your subject being uncomfortable by the heat of your light, this lamp stays cool while generating very light heat.

Shallow depth.

The 30% reduction in depth of the 36" x 48" Shallow Softbox compared to a standard softbox provides a greater punch of light.

1/4-Stop Front Diffusion.

Designed to be a perfect fit with our Spiderlite TD series, the 38" x 48" Shallow Softbox features a 1/4-stop front diffusion front compared to a standard full-stop diffusion front. When combined with the soft diffused nature of the fluorescent lamps, it provides just enough diffusion to make the light soft while still offering a punch of light to create depth and dimension with specular highlights.

Perfect for small spaces.

Due to the shallow nature of this softbox, it is ideal when working in cramped conditions.

Create separation & depth.

The included 40-degree Egg Crate Grid for 12" x 36" Stripbank are made up of cells that control off axis light in four directions while maintaining the soft quality inherent in a large light source. They allow you to create separation & depth such as a hair light where you want to control just the light going onto the hair in order to separate it from the background. Additionally, as light is focused into a forward direction through use of an egg crate grid, it can help to eliminate spill light or lens flare.

Durable construction.

These high-quality light stands incorporate tubing that is 2x thicker than most tubing commonly found on market. This will provide extra durability as well as product longevity.

headshot I took with them:

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