A Tropical Morning Spent with Lily the Cavalier King Charles in her Private Patch of Paradise

With more down time throughout lockdown, I only recently discovered the delight that can be had in gardening, so imagine my excitement when I received an enquiry for a shoot with Lily the Cavalier King Charles, the top sunbather in Leed’s smallest but most spectacular urban jungle. It’s pretty much her own private oasis created by her wedding photographer owners James + Lianne Lester. When I stopped by, we got some shots on their favourite wooded walk round the block and of course back at home, in their tiny slice of paradise.

When I arrived at the Lesters, I was welcomed by a ‘Silly Lily’ (one of her many nicknames). She was beyond excited with a frantically wagging tail and immediately I was covered in kisses. She could sense something was happening and that the day was all about her. As we headed out on her every day walk, she led the way through the trees. She chased leaves, stopped now and again to indulge in lots of cuddles and even scored a worldie by finding some wild blackberries that she nibbled straight from the bush.

As we turned the corner back onto Lily’s street, we walked past a garage and took the opportunity to get some snaps in front of their dusky pink wall. Not before Lily said a special hello to the mechanics of course. She often checks in on them and they have built up quite a bond. I’m told that one time, Lily even snuck off out the back gate just so she could indulge in some tea and biscuits with her neighbourhood pals. Just like before, Lily wags her tail and has such a warm happy aura - it’s so infectious and so obvious that her mechanic friends enjoy the visit just as much as she does.

“Lily in 3 words: Inquisitive, Eager, Lazy!”

We soon arrive back home, and as we step through the back gate, I have a weird Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe moment as if we step from one world and straight into a tiny Bali paradise. With so many tall exotic plants, the climate is different and it’s immediately noticeable with proper hot and humid rainforest air. It’s a bright sunny morning but the towering leaves offer lots of shade. Perfect for Lily! James tells me about her habits in the garden.

“Lily has a favourite plant to chew on (it’s non-toxic to dogs) so we let her have her fun! We don’t know why she’s so obsessed with this one plant, but so long as it makes her happy! But most of all, she likes to just sit on the top step and watch the world. She can sit there for hours, utterly content.”

Lily does her thing. Working those angles and knowing exactly how to pose - photographing her is a dream. With photographers as pawrents it’s hardly surprising. She sits in her wicker egg chair like butter wouldn’t melt, totally lapping up all of the attention.

“She’ll pose all over the garden for photos and will find all sorts of new poses to get maximum rewards. She’ll climb in pots, lay on stools and schmooze with the plants all on her own. Everything on our instagram is her own idea - she’s very creative! But we’re sure she’s just got that chicken reward in mind the whole time.”

It’s nearly 10am and a bright sunny day. Usually this type of harsh sunlight wouldn’t be my favourite to photograph in, but with the dappled pops of light bursting through the leafy shaded spots, it’s just perfect. And despite only being a miniature jungle, we find lots of photo opportunities, behind every giant leaf, a new backdrop uncovered.

We bring the shoot to a close, with some last shots of the family together on the garden steps. More kisses, more cuddles and of course more tropical ferns. James and Lianne tell me what it means to them to be a dog owner.

“We don’t consider ourselves dog owners, Lily is very much our daughter. She completes our little family.”

It’s pretty hot now so Lily retreats indoors to cool down with an ice cube. It slips from her mouth and it’s not long before it turns into a game as she pounces after it around the kitchen. Amongst the ice cube chaos I manage to squeeze in my goodbyes and just as she had welcomed me, she gives her fondest fairwell, not hesitant at all about pausing her new game. It makes me think, it’s not just pets and their owners that share a special bond, but as I witnessed with Lily and her mechanic pals, pets are lucky enough to have relationships with so many other regulars in their life. And even though I was with Lily for a few hours, I feel pretty lucky to be one of her people.

You can keep up to date with Lily and her day-to-day in her private tropical garden on Instagram here @LeedsTropicalShadeGarden

If you would like a family photoshoot in the garden, get in touch or visit our packages page for more details. Lots of availability for September 2020!