c/pet-photo-bloopers

The squeaky toy bloopers burned into my retinas

Tried to get a cute shot of my corgi mid-chase with her favorite hedgehog toy last Tuesday. She launched herself at it right as my phone camera was on burst mode, and every single frame caught her mid-snarl with her eyes rolled back and drool strings flying. I mean, 37 photos and somehow not one usable shot, but the two of us have been laughing at the worst one all week. The trick that actually worked? I put the toy on a slow ceiling fan spin and filmed from below, so she kept doing this confused head tilt thing instead of pure chaos. Has anyone else managed to salvage a blooper session with a weird camera angle or prop setup? My friend swears by using a mirror, but that sounds like a broken nose waiting to happen.

Bought a $12 squeaky toy that lasted 8 minutes flat

I got my beagle this fancy squeaky hedgehog from the pet store last Tuesday. It was twelve bucks and I thought it might last a weekend at least. Nope, she had the squeaker ripped out in eight minutes and the stuffing was all over my living room rug. I should have stuck with the dollar store tennis balls that at least hold up for a week. Has anyone else had a dog destroy a toy faster than they expected?

Finally got a decent photo of my cat yawning after 47 blurry attempts

I used to just spam the shutter button and hope for the best, but now I wait for her to actually stretch first and hold the phone super steady, which cut my failed photos from like 30 to maybe 2, has anyone else found a trick that actually works for capturing a good pet bloopers shot?

Tried to get a cute Christmas photo of my cat last night and got this blurry demon face instead

She was mid-yawn with the tree lights making her eyes glow red, looks like a possessed gremlin. Has anyone else accidentally captured their pet looking like a horror movie extra?

Finally got my derpy cat mid-yawn and it looks like a demon

Was at the vet clinic on Elm Street yesterday trying to get a cute shot of Mochi in the waiting room and instead caught her mid-yawn with her tongue all curled and eyes half shut. Has anyone else captured a pet fail that gets worse the longer you look at it?

Serious question, blurry action shot or weird face close up?

I was trying to get a nice photo of my dog Charlie at the park last Saturday. I had to pick between catching him mid-run so he looks like a blurry cryptid, or getting a super close up where his tongue is hanging out and his eyes are half closed. I went with the action shot because it felt funnier, but he just looks like a brown smudge with legs. Has anyone else had to make this call and which way did you go?

Why does every photo of my dog look like a crime scene blur

I took my golden retriever to the dog park near my apartment complex last Saturday. Every single picture I snapped made her look like a fuzzy ghost or a stretchy demon with 3 legs. I thought maybe my phone camera was broken but nope, it's just her moving at lightning speed the second I hit the button. Has anyone else had a pet that turns into a complete blur monster the moment you try to capture a cute moment? I'm about to give up and just hire a professional photographer at this rate.

Showerthought: the 'treat on the camera' trick stopped working 6 years ago, but blowing on my cat's ear gets me the derpiest photo every single time.

My cat used to pose perfectly for a treat, then she got wise and now just stares at my hand, but last week I accidentally blew on her ear mid-yawn and caught the exact split-second where she looks like a cross-eyed goblin, has anyone else found a weird random thing that works better than the usual tricks?

Caught my golden retriever mid yawn and he looks like a demon from hell

That moment I realized my dog's 'smiling' photo was actually a yawn every time

I spent like 3 years thinking my golden retriever Pepper was giving me this perfect happy grin in photos. Then my friend Lisa who's a vet tech saw one and goes 'uh that's a yawn, she's probably tired of you pointing a phone at her'. I felt so dumb. I shifted to timing photos right after a treat and actually got a real smile in under 5 tries. Has anyone else discovered a pet's fakeout pose way too late?

Had to choose between the blurry tongue photo and the demon eye closeup for my cat's christmas card this year

I was making our annual family pet photo card and had two real winners from my cat Milo's session. First one he was mid-yawn with this long pink tongue going sideways and his eyes half closed, looked like a total alien creature. Second one I caught him staring into a flashlight beam so his pupils were tiny slits and his face was just this creepy yellow-green reflection. I went with the tongue photo because at least it's funny instead of scary. My mom called me after getting the card and asked if Milo was having a seizure or something. Now I'm stuck with 30 of these cards and I can't decide if I should apologize or just own it. Did anyone else have a pet photo choice that bombed with your family this year?

I just learned my dog's 'smiling' tongue-out photo might mean something bad

My vet told me after his checkup that if their tongue hangs to one side in pictures, it could be dental pain or nerve damage, not just being cute. She said a third of dogs with that 'derpy' look actually have hidden mouth problems, so maybe watch for it in your blooper shots too.

Broke down and bought a $40 self-cleaning litter box last week, and my cat just stared at it for 15 minutes before pooping on the floor next to it.

I caught him mid-squat right beside the fancy box and snapped a photo that looks like he's giving me the most judgmental side-eye ever, has anyone else's cat totally rejected a new gadget like this?

Caught my dog mid-sneeze and it looked like a horror movie

Was trying to get a nice photo of my golden retriever at the park last Tuesday. He sneezed right as I snapped the shot. The photo showed his face all twisted up with drool flying everywhere. I actually used it as my phone wallpaper for a week because it cracked me up. Anyone else end up keeping the worst photos on purpose?

Tried to get a cute Christmas photo of my dog and ended up with a blurry demon face instead

Last Sunday I balanced a Santa hat on my golden retriever's head and the shot I got looks like he's mid-exorcism with glowing red eyes and teeth showing, has anyone else just accepted their pet looks cursed in every holiday photo?

Worst pet photo session ever with my cat Mr. Whiskers

I tried to get a cute shot of Mr. Whiskers in a Santa hat last Saturday, and he literally opened his mouth mid-yawn right as I pressed the button. The photo looks like a demonic possessed cat with glowing green eyes and a weird fuzzy tongue. What's the most hilariously bad pet blooper you've ever accidentally captured?

Should you delete the blurry photo or keep it for the story? Got my cat mid-yawn yesterday.

I was at my kitchen table trying to snap a shot of my tabby yawning. She stretched, mouth wide open, but when I checked the photo, her eyes were halfway closed and there was drool hanging from her chin. It looks awful but it's also funny because you can see her tiny teeth. My friend says delete it, I say it's a keeper. What do you guys do with ones that are technically bad but capture a real moment?

Visited my parents' house and found a photo of my dog mid-sneeze from 2005

I was digging through old boxes in their attic last weekend (you know, the ones you swear you'll organize but never do) and found this print of my late beagle, Rusty, during a sneeze. His ears were flopped backwards, his eyes were half-closed, and there was a huge blur of drool flying across the frame. I remember my mom yelling at me for taking that photo because I wasted film on something so ugly. Now it's my favorite picture of him because it's so real and ridiculous. It got me thinking about how phones have changed everything - we take a hundred blurry shots of our pets now and don't think twice. But back then, you had to pick your moment carefully or risk wasting a whole roll of film. Does anyone else have an old physical photo of their pet that's way funnier than anything on your camera roll?

Debate: My sister said "just use your phone flash" for cat photos but the red-eye glow was way worse than I expected

She swore natural light was overrated and phone flash was fine, but now my cat looks like a demon in every shot, so who's actually right about pet photo lighting?

My cat's 'graceful leap' photo turned into a flying furball disaster

Tried to snap a pic of my tabby jumping from the couch to the table. Camera caught her mid-air with her legs splayed out, belly hanging, and eyes bugged wide open. Looked like a hairy potato with legs. That was 3 weeks ago. She did the same jump again yesterday and I got a normal shot. Guess it's just bad timing with the shutter.

Had to pick between the blurry tongue shot or the demon eye glare for my cat's Christmas card

I was going through my phone trying to find a decent photo of Mittens for the family holiday card and I had two real stinkers. One was a shot where she was mid-yawn with her tongue flopped out sideways and her eyes half closed. The other was a full on wide-eyed glare with her pupils completely blown out like she just saw a ghost. I went with the tongue shot because I thought it was more funny than terrifying. Big mistake. My aunt called me asking if the cat was having a stroke in the picture. My mom said it looked like a mugshot for a small time criminal. I had to apologize to everyone and explain it was just a weird angle. Has anyone else accidentally picked the worse blooper for something important like I did?

Am I the only one who thinks the blurry tongue photos are way better than the perfect ones?

I was scrolling through shots from the dog park last Tuesday and my favorite one is just a smear of fur and a tongue pointing sideways, but everyone keeps posting the crisp portraits where they look like dogs from a commercial.

I finally captured my cat yawning at the exact wrong moment

Last Tuesday I tried to get a nice photo of my cat Mittens on the windowsill in the afternoon light. Instead of a cute pose, I swear the shutter caught him mid sneeze with his eyes half closed and tongue sticking out. The photo looks like a gremlin from that 80s movie, not my sweet 7 year old tabby. I had to show my sister over text and she laughed for a solid 5 minutes before asking if I adopted a swamp monster. Has anyone else managed to snap a picture that makes their pet look like a completely different animal?

Visited a cat cafe in Portland and noticed everyone only posts the perfect shots

I was at Meow Town in Portland last weekend watching people try to get photos of cats. Almost every person would snap like 20 blurry photos of a cat mid-yawn or with its tongue out before finally getting one good one. Nobody ever shares those 19 failed shots on social media. But those are the ones that actually capture what cats are like. The perfect sitting pretty pose is nice but the derpy tongue out or the weird double chin angle is way more entertaining. Has anyone else noticed this at pet cafes or shelters?

My sister told me my pet photos were 'borderline terrifying' so I had to rethink my approach

She said every picture I took of my cat Gary looked like a mugshot from a horror movie because I was always using the flash at 2 in the morning. I switched to natural light from the kitchen window around 10 AM and now his derpy tongue-out shots actually look goofy instead of scary. Anyone else get blunt feedback from family that made you change how you photograph your pets?