More than 40 years ago, Lynda Niemeier-Teasdale bought a one-way ticket to San Francisco, arriving with just a few hundred dollars in her pocket and a dream to do photography, which she studied as a fine art major at Illinois State University.

“Once I got into photography, I was absolutely hooked,” she said. “When I moved to San Francisco in 1980, my first job was working in the darkroom for a commercial photographer in North Beach. I reinvented myself many times. I was a stock broker. I worked at KGO in sales and marketing. I sold orthopedic implants. I did a ton of different jobs to support my craft. And then I opened my studio and gallery in Russian Hill in 2000. That was the dream I realized.”

But these days, her photography, especially her pet portraits, has taken on a more special meaning: they help raise money for Chloe’s Cause, a charitable fund that supports the University of California at Davis’ comparative oncology program. The fund is named after her 12-year-old Coton de Tulear, who died four months after being diagnosed with oral cancer in spring 2022.

“Chloe’s Cause is a beautiful tribute to an extraordinary dog, whose enduring spirit continues to help advance cancer treatments for both animals and humans,” the fund’s page states.

“I love that I’ve been able to integrate my passion and love for photography with this much deeper purpose that all happened after the passing of my dog. It’s an amazing journey,” she said.

Her next pet portrait session is from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Woodlands Pet Food and Treats in the Bon Air shopping center. Surrounding the theme “Christmas in July,” a Hawaiian shirt-wearing Santa will be there, and Elmo Shropshire, the Novato resident known for his iconic song “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” will perform at 2 p.m.

A $20 minimum donation is requested. No appointments necessary.

“People think that their dogs won’t cooperate. Well, that’s actually part of the fun because hardly any dog does cooperate. But that’s what causes some of the funniest and warmest expressions. It’s just some treats and squeaky toys, and we get some amazing pictures,” said Niemeier-Teasdale, whose images have been featured on TV and Papyrus greeting cards, including one guitar-playing dog that’s still available after more than 20 years.

She will return to Woodlands Pet Food and Treats from noon to 3 p.m. July 26.

“People are getting a treasured keepsake, and I’m getting a whole lot out of it knowing that I’m giving back in this way,” she said.

‘How can I help?’

Not many people know about comparative oncology, the study of naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease. It’s something Niemeier-Teasdale looked deeply into during and after Chloe’s cancer journey.

“It’s a fascinating field of research,” she said. “Our dogs are so genetically similar to us, and they live in the same environment, and they naturally get the same kind of cancers as we do. Treatments that work really well with them often transfer to humans. I found out that UC Davis is one of the leaders in this field of research. I picked up the phone, called them and I said, ‘How can I help?’ I volunteered myself to help them raise awareness and support for their program.

“As a breast cancer survivor myself who has lost too many loved ones to this disease, including Chloe, I’m like, we’ve got to do more. Private donor support is so important, and that’s why I started creating these pet portrait sessions to help raise funding and awareness. It’s just amazing that we can help pets and people, too.”

Niemeier-Teasdale’s foray into pet photography was a happy accident. One day in her San Francisco photo studio and gallery, a friend dropped by with his greyhound, Louie. As they started chatting, he wandered onto the set and posed, which Niemeier-Teasdale captured on film with her Hasselblad. The images were stunning.

Keeping her memory alive

Niemeier-Teasdale, who had a childhood dog named Little Joe, wanted a dog once she moved West, but as a single, career-focused woman living in the city, she felt she wouldn’t be able to give the animal the love and attention it deserved.

So, when she got married in her late 40s after moving to Sausalito, she wanted to get one. But she just needed to convince her husband, Robert, first.

“One day, I watched Oprah and Barbra Streisand was on with her dog, Samantha, a Coton de Tulear. That dog was so darn cute. I found out I’m allergic to dogs. I have to load up on the allergy meds when I shoot, but I needed a hypoallergenic dog. And the Coton de Tulear are. It turns out that our neighbor had one, and I asked her if I could start bringing the dog to the house. The dog gravitated to my husband like you wouldn’t believe. And then he started getting attached to this neighbor’s Catan,” said Niemeier-Teasdale, who ended up getting Chloe from Streisand’s breeder in Arizona.

Her career in photography took a backseat from 2013 until 2021 as she helped her husband, a longtime surgeon in the community, in his office, with Chloe in tow.

“Chloe would come to work with us each day, and she was a breath of fresh air. The patients would come in and be like, ‘Is Chloe here?’ It was an incredible family affair,” she said. “I kept telling Chloe, ‘We’re going to get back to our photography,’ because I used to take a lot of pictures of her and she was always at my photoshoots. Of course, as fate would have it, as soon as I was able to get back to my work, she was diagnosed with oral cancer.”

But she keeps the memory of Chloe alive through her work and the fund. And these days, she cherishes the time she spends with her two Coton de Tulear dogs named Rosie and Indie.

“It has driven me to expand my purpose,” said Niemeier-Teasdale, who details the spiritual signs she’s received from Chloe and her spiritual journey on her website Beyond Spirit Dog. “I feel like I’m more aligned with my soul’s true purpose than ever before. I just turned 69. I thought at this stage of my life, I would be kicking back a little bit, taking it easy. But, I wake up with an excitement and enthusiasm and drive that I can’t explain. It feels so good to be giving back.”

If you want to donate directly, go to vetmed.ucdavis.edu/giving/chloescause. More information and future events can be found at beyondspiritdog.com.