A Socially Distanced Family Photoshoot with Margo the Pointer, Audrey the Rabbit, and the Cats Judi Dench and Franco.

In the limbo between those last warm days of Summer and the arrival of Autumn, I was lucky enough to visit Rachel and Becky at their Leeds home last August, for some socially distanced family photos. The shoot took place in the garden, a spot that over time had become a favourite part of the family home, and with a house move just a few months away, would be missed the most. Margo the Pointer was the star of the show as she played football with fallen apples and received all the cuddles from her mamas during half time. While cats, Judi Dench and Franco, and lop eared bunny Audrey made guest star appearances.

“Her eyes and sass immediately reminded us of Judi Dench. She was very confident as soon as we brought her home as a kitten.”

When I arrive at Becky + Rachel’s I’m greeted by Judi Dench with her piercing eyes and fabulous fluffy coat. I’m not talking about the real Judi Dench of course (however the likeness is uncanny), I’m talking about her feline doppelgänger. Ms Judy studies me from the stairs, her blues eyes, and striking good looks just adding to her all-round fabulousness. Franco waits patiently to say hello, just a few steps up. I get the feeling that Judi likes to soak up the limelight whereas Franco is more of a behind-the-scenes kinda guy.

The cats remain cool and calm, while Pointer Margo can’t contain her excitement as she bounces around to greet me. We’ve met once before and it’s so lovely to be reunited with this gorgeous gal. With so many different pets in the household, I wonder about the various dynamics between each of the animals.

“Margo and Franco have a love hate relationship. They constantly wind one another up but then you’ll catch them on the bed snuggled up to each other! Margo and Dench get on so well. Dench likes to bite Margo’s jowls and Margo seems to love it for some reason.”

After a brief hello to the cats, we make our way outside for some photos in the garden. Margo has lots of cuddles, but not before she lets out lots of happy zooms around the lawn. She makes it her quest to look for old fallen apples, dropping them in front of me so that we can have a kick-about. I happily take her up on her offer but my skills aren’t up to scratch and the game soon evolves - this time Margo finds soft little sticks and ever so carefully drops them by my side as a gift. Clever girl!

“She hates morning walks and likes to spend hours in our bed in the morning, tucked in like an actual human. Then she loves a walk which involves water as she loves swimming. She would play fetch for hours if she could at the stream in Meanwood Park. ”

Margo shares her garden with her bunny sister Audrey and after some solo dog shots, it’s time to let little Audrey out for a hop around. Margo is so gentle around her and seeing these two very different species go about their shared routine is just heart-warming. Audrey likes to sniff, nibble and explore while Margo pretty much follows her trail. And Audrey’s favourite garden treat is to nibble on rose petals straight from the bush. One after another, little flashes of bright pink disappear behind her tiny teeth as she rapidly prunes the petals away. She may as well fill her boots now. The last Summer indulgence until the house move and before that cold Autumn snap sweeps the garden and steals them all away.

“Audrey spends most of the days outside in the garden. Audrey loves Margo, she often leaps over her when she’s having a nap in the garden and sniffs at her snout. Margo is mainly aloof and ignores her as she’s too busy trying to find sticks in garden. ”

It’s not long before Audrey calls it a night and she happily and independently hops back into her shed, tucking herself in for the night. And with her cue, we find ourselves coming to a natural stop with the shoot too. Margo still wants to play and her amber eyes ask if we can have one more game of fallen apple footy. Perhaps she can sense that this will be one of the last Summery evenings spent playing in her favourite place. But it’s all good, as I return a reassuring look - just letting her know that she has so much fun to come in her new home in the countryside.

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