Amanda and Lucy’s Story

A Villanova professor, her unforgettable Westie, and a portrait experience filled with the places, people and memories that made their life together their own.

There was a whole pile of Westie puppies on the floor when Amanda Grannas went to visit a breeder in Punxsutawney.
One of them had other plans.
While the puppies were gathered together, Lucy gradually made her way over to Amanda.
They connected immediately.

“She just kind of migrated over to me. It was an instant connection, and that was the beginning.” – Amanda 

What followed was a relationship that would become woven through nearly every part of Amanda’s life: home, family, her career at Villanova University, the outdoors she had loved since childhood, and countless ordinary days that became extraordinary simply because Lucy was there.

And years later, when Amanda realized their time together might be growing short, she made a
decision she is profoundly grateful she didn’t postpone.

She wanted to preserve their story.

Amanda Tells Lucy’s Story

Meet Amanda and Lucy and hear, in Amanda’s own words, about the life they shared, their
portrait experience at Willow Street Pictures, and what Lucy’s portraits mean to her today.

The Little Westie Who Always Seemed to Know

Amanda grew up surrounded by animals on a small farm in Central Pennsylvania. There were cats and dogs, a horse, goats and chickens, so having animals as part of the family was nothing unusual.

Lucy, however, was one of a kind.

She was smart, affectionate and possessed plenty of the stubbornness and sass Amanda came to expect from a West Highland Terrier.

She also seemed to know when Amanda needed her.

Years ago, Amanda suffered from severe migraines. When one left her lying on the couch, Lucy would bring over her favorite toy, place it beside Amanda and curl up at her feet.

As Amanda remembers it, Lucy seemed to be saying:

“Okay, I’m here. I’m taking care of you now.”

That combination of sweetness, intelligence, empathy and unmistakable Westie attitude would become Lucy’s signature.

The Westie Who Became Part of Life at Villanova

Lucy wasn’t simply waiting for Amanda when the workday ended.

She went to work with her.

Amanda is an environmental chemist, and her professional life brought Lucy into the Villanova University community as well.

Soon, Lucy developed something of a following.

Amanda jokes that students sometimes seemed more interested in coming to office hours to see Lucy than to see their professor.

But there was something deeper happening.

Some students didn’t arrive because they needed help with homework or wanted to prepare for an exam. They would come in after a difficult day simply needing somewhere to spend a little time.

And Lucy seemed to understand.

Amanda came to think of her as a sort of unofficial department therapy dog. Lucy never had the official title or therapy vest, but Amanda believes she could have done the job beautifully.

“The students came to office hours more to see her than to see me.” – Amanda

Villanova wasn’t simply something Amanda did for work. It became another part of the life she and Lucy shared, which is why it eventually found its way into their portraits, too.

When “Someday” Became Now

Amanda had known about Willow Street Pictures before she ever called us.

Her veterinarian displayed a collection of Willow Street portraits, and Amanda had admired them for some time.

She kept thinking that she should eventually schedule a portrait experience with Lucy.

Then, in October, Lucy was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Suddenly, “eventually” felt very different.

There was tremendous uncertainty. Amanda didn’t know whether they had a month together or several months. Treatment might work. It might not.

So she made the decision.

They were going to do it.

“If I would’ve missed that opportunity, I’d be forever kicking myself for not having it.” – Amanda

This is an important part of Amanda and Lucy’s story, but it isn’t what defined their photo shoot.

There was illness in the background.

There was also laughter.

There was Lucy being stubborn and silly. There were wardrobe changes, meaningful props, fall leaves, a vintage truck, a violin, Villanova, and plenty of moments that could only have belonged to the two of them.

Amanda later described the experience as bittersweet, but filled with good memories.

A Photo Shoot That Moved at Lucy’s Pace

Amanda understandably worried about how Lucy might feel on the day of the photo shoot.

The answer was simple: we would follow Lucy.

If she needed a break, we would take one. If she needed more time, she would have it. There was no reason to rush her through an experience that was being created specifically for her and Amanda.

Amanda remembers how reassuring that was.

“That put me at ease, knowing that there wasn’t any artificial hurry-up.” – Amanda

That flexibility gave Amanda and Lucy room to enjoy the day and allowed the photographs to grow out of their relationship rather than forcing Lucy through a predetermined schedule.

And once they stepped outside the Harleysville studio, the possibilities expanded even further.

An Outdoor Portrait That Felt Like Home

Being outdoors has always been part of Amanda’s identity.

She grew up on a Central Pennsylvania farm, and that connection to nature followed her into her professional career. As an environmental chemist, much of her work has involved fieldwork in the environment.

So when Amanda and Lucy went outside during their Willow Street photo shoot, the setting mattered.

It was fall. Leaves covered the ground, with some autumn color still hanging in the trees.

Then Amanda noticed something.

Near the studio was a pond, and reflected in the water was a barn.

She immediately saw a photograph in it.

Michael lined up the portrait so Amanda and Lucy could be photographed beside the pond with the barn reflected in the water behind them.

For Amanda, the result became much more than a beautiful outdoor portrait.

The barn reminded her of home.

“That actually ended up being probably one of my favorite photos.” – Amanda

This is one of the reasons we love having outdoor portrait settings surrounding our Harleysville studio.

A location doesn’t become meaningful simply because it’s pretty.

Sometimes the right setting unexpectedly connects someone to another part of their life.

For Amanda, a reflection in a pond brought her back to the farm where her story began.

Then There Was the Chevy

The vintage turquoise Chevy had a story of its own.

Amanda’s father loves Chevy pickup trucks.

So when the truck came up while planning the photo shoot, Amanda knew immediately that she wanted a portrait with it.

It would be a small homage to her dad.

The truck, the pond, the barn reflection, the stone wall and the park gave Amanda and Lucy very different outdoor environments without requiring them to travel from location to location.

Amanda remembers looking around and realizing just how many possibilities there were.

“There were just too many options. I think there are too many possibilities.” -Amanda

Indoors, Outdoors, or Both

This part of Amanda’s story shows something important about a portrait experience at our Harleysville studio.

Clients don’t necessarily have to choose between the polished look of a professional indoor portrait studio and the variety of an outdoor portrait experience.

Amanda and Lucy created both.

Inside, we could control the lighting and create intimate portraits while incorporating meaningful pieces of Amanda’s life.

Outside, the park, pond, stone settings, seasonal foliage and vintage truck gave the photo shoot an entirely different feeling.

Moving between them gave Amanda and Lucy a collection of artwork with tremendous variety while still allowing the entire experience to revolve around one relationship.

Portraits Filled With Pieces of Their Life

The outdoor locations weren’t the only way Amanda personalized the experience.

She had played violin since she was about eight years old.

So the violin came into the studio.

Villanova came into the portraits as well, through Amanda’s clothing and Lucy’s Villanova bandana.

None of these elements were chosen simply because they made interesting props.

Each one pointed somewhere.

The barn connected Amanda to the Central Pennsylvania farm where she grew up.

The outdoors reflected a lifelong relationship with nature and her work as an environmental chemist.

The Chevy connected to her father.

The violin represented something Amanda had loved since childhood.

Villanova represented Amanda’s professional life and a community where Lucy herself had become a familiar and comforting presence.

Together, they helped create something much more personal than a collection of photographs.

They created a visual record of Amanda and Lucy’s life together.

More Than Photographs

But what makes them valuable to her isn’t simply how they look.

It’s everything she remembers when she looks at them.

She remembers what happened while a particular photograph was being created. The laughter. Lucy being silly. The effort behind getting one perfect expression. The places they went together that day.

The finished portrait holds all of that.

And after Lucy passed away, those photographs took on another dimension.

Amanda wondered initially whether seeing them every day would be difficult.

Her perspective on that question says perhaps more about their relationship than anything we could add.

“They’re dogs. They’re part of life. They’re part of family. They’re not just a possession.” – Amanda

Still in the Room

Amanda doesn’t think about Lucy as simply being gone.

There are little moments when something happens and Amanda feels as though Lucy is letting her know she’s okay.

The way Amanda describes it is beautifully simple.

Lucy is somewhere else at the moment.

Almost as though she has temporarily run into another room.

Like a friend who has moved away, the separation doesn’t erase the relationship or everything that came before it.

“They’re not gone. We’ll be back in the same room one day.” – Amanda

The Story You Never Want to Forget

There is rarely a perfect time to create something meaningful.

Our animals may be young and impossibly energetic. They may be older and moving a little more slowly. Sometimes life changes before we are ready for it to change.

Amanda had thought about creating portraits of Lucy for some time.

Today, she is grateful she stopped thinking about someday and made it happen.

At Willow Street Pictures, our portrait experiences are built around the relationships and stories that matter to you. At our Harleysville studio, that can mean creating inside our professional portrait studio, stepping outside to the park, pond, stone settings and vintage truck, incorporating the things that are meaningful to your family, or combining all of those possibilities into one experience.

Because ultimately, the location, the background and even the photograph itself aren’t the most important part.

The story behind them is.

Questions Families Often Ask About Portraits With Dogs

Willow Street Pictures creates custom family and pet portrait artwork at our Harleysville and West Lawn studios.