Gender reveal photo shoots are a fun and exciting way to let people know you’re expecting — and whether it’s a boy or a girl. But one woman decided to do her own version of the tradition by unveiling her new puppy instead of baby details.
Joy Stone of Melissa, Texas, had been looking to add a puppy to her growing family, which includes her husband Brady and their Black Lab Kairi. So when she finally brought home a seven-week-old golden retriever mix named Rey, she found a creative way to celebrate.
The 25-year-old enlisted her friend, a professional photographer named Carlyle Allen, to orchestrate a photoshoot that started off just like a typical gender-reveal — but ended with an unexpected twist.
New addition: Joy Stone, 25, of Melissa, Texas, had been looking to add a puppy to her growing family, which includes her husband Brady and their Black Lab Kairi
Dogs for sale: And as luck would have it, the couple’s friend, Carlyle Allen, saw a post on Facebook about some puppies in need of homes
Carlyle was actually the one who told Joy about the puppy, having seen a Facebook post about some dogs that needed homes.
‘Joy and her husband Brady had been searching for a rescue puppy for quite some time. However, they couldn’t find the perfect fit for their little family,’ the photographer told BoredPanda.
‘One of my Facebook friends, Gracie Gonzalez, has a heart of gold. Gracie found the puppy and her four other siblings next to a railroad track. She posted a picture on her Facebook profile, and I forwarded it to my friend. It was love at first sight.’
After telling Joy about the dogs, the pair drove to pick up Rey, who is named after the Star Wars character.
Joy didn’t tell her husband that she was going to be picking up a new member of the family because she wanted it to be a surprise.
Welcome home: Joy immediately fell in love with Rey, a seven-week-old golden retriever, and decided to adopted the puppy
Candid for the canine: To celebrate, the Joy had a puppy reveal photoshoot, complete with beige balloons and ‘It’s a…’ written on a cardboard box
The idea for having a ‘puppy reveal’ — using a cardboard box, metal tub, and beige balloons — was originally suggested by Carlyle.
She said: ‘Joy and I are notorious for doing silly things together. I half-jokingly threw out the idea of having a puppy reveal photo shoot. Without hesitation, she replied with a ‘Dude, let’s do it.’ Next thing I knew, we were in my yard trying to convince a five-pound fluffball to stay in a metal tub.’
But despite working with an energetic puppy, Carlyle said the photoshoot wasn’t hard at all, and actually only took to 15 minutes to do.
‘The emotion captured between the puppy and Joy was not prompted. Joy was excited to have a new companion, and the puppy was excited to have a new mom,’ she said.
She added: ‘I’m a new photographer. I’ve only been doing this for about four months. While I still have so much more to learn, one thing that I discovered early on is to close my mouth, sit back, and snap candid emotional moments. That’s what this was.’
Creative: Carlyle suggested idea for the ‘puppy reveal’ using a cardboard box, metal tub, and beige balloons
Short and sweet: Despite working with an energetic puppy, Carlyle said the photoshoot wasn’t hard at all, and actually only took 15 minutes to do
Carlyle’s husband even had a chance to see the authentic moments between Rey and Joy because he had a special job that required him to place the puppy back in the tub whenever she jumped out.
When Joy’s husband Brady got the news, it was a surprise — but once the initial shock wore off and he realized he was getting a puppy instead of baby, he was excited to welcome Rey to the family.
Joy told ABC News: ‘She is so sweet and has loved everyone she has met so far. She can also get extremely playful and absolutely loves running around and playing with Kairi.’
After Carlyle posted the photos on Facebook just a week before Mother’s Day, the pictures quickly went viral, getting more than 70,000 shares and 36,000 likes.
And in an attempt to ‘help spread a little joy,’ Carlyle and Joy have partnered with an animal shelter and will be hosting ‘Doggie and Me’ photoshoots to provide supplies for animal shelters.
Getting noticed: After Carlyle posted the photos to Facebook just a week before Mother’s Day, the pictures quickly went viral
Spreading the word: In an attempt to ‘help spread a little joy,’ Carlyle and Joy have partnered with an animal shelter and will be hosting ‘Doggie and Me’ photoshoots
Carlyle said on Facebook: ‘The past couple of days have been overwhelmingly joyful. We never expected quite the response from our impromptu puppy reveal. You guys have lifted our spirits, and I am so happy to have been able to help spread a little joy over the past few days.’
‘Rey Dakota Stone was found near a railroad track with four other siblings (some of which are still up for adoption). Gracie Gonzalez with My Puppy Love Pet Sitting graciously took them in and provided them a warm place to sleep and food to eat.’
‘Gracie, Joy (the woman in the pictures), and I are all passionate about helping animals in need. We’ve partnered with Kurth Memorial Animal Shelter to take our passion another step forward. We will be hosting a Doggie and Me mini photo shoot in June during Pet Appreciation Week (4-10).’
‘While specific times are still TBA, we plan to post them soon. There will not be a set price for the sessions, as the fee will be donation-based. All proceeds will help provide supplies and food for the shelter.
‘If you are a photographer in another area, I want to encourage you to think about doing the same for your local shelter. There are so many animals in need this time of year. If we work together, we can make a difference in these animals’ lives.’