Spring is here and so is Mother’s Day! At Shoot My Travel we love to know that there is a whole day dedicated to spoil, pamper, and celebrate all of the magnificent women in our lives.

Moms care for us unconditionally (and can have endless advice to give), but they also give up so much for us. Let’s face it, sometimes we forget to give mom the credit she deserves. So this Mother’s Day, we wanted to give our readers an inside look on what it means to be a mom, from the lens of, well, a mom. For this, we asked some of our traveler moms to share their perspective and stories through our #momslens series, check it out!

Unconditional Mom Love

We can agree that all moms have this in common: they will do anything for their children, even the furry four legged ones (yep, this feature is for all of our #dogmoms out there!). To every dog owner reading this, you know that you work tirelessly to meet your goals, support your family, (or lifestyle, in the case of my single folks), but more importantly to make sure your dog has the life and future he/she deserves.

So as we celebrate all moms out there, we want to kick off the week by featuring Juli Rivera , dog mom since October 2017 to Hermes (picture on the right)

We asked Juli a few questions to learn more about her and Hermes from her #momslens. See below!

What does being a dog mom to Hermes mean to you?
Hermes is such an important character in my family. My husband and I are both in our late 20's, we got married in 2016, and at the beginning of the year we were thinking about starting a family. However, we both agreed that there were still many projects, travels, and things in general we wanted to do before taking that step. This is where my Hermy comes in the picture - a dog was the perfect plan for us! And we took this step very seriously, we researched a lot before getting him, and chose him over hundreds of options.

In my eyes, my husband and my dog are my family, and my life. Sometimes, people tend to make fun of pet lovers (we can get annoying with all the bragging) but no one really understands the significant change a dog brings can bring into your life - they are such great companions. My husband’s job demands a lot of his time right now, and Hermes has been my loyal partner in crime. When he is around, I don’t need anything else. He is my baby, my friend, and - yes - my son. Everyone tells me I "humanize" my dog because I care for him so much, and take care of him like a baby - But guess what? Hermes IS my baby! So to all my dog moms: regardless of what the world thinks, if you are a dog mom, own it, and be proud of it! (Also, I created an Instagram for him, make sure you go follow my baby Hermes on Instagram: thelifeofhermes)

What is the best part of being a dog mom? Tell us a story!
Receiving unconditional love all the time. No matter how long/ bad my day has been, or how sad/emotional I feel, Hermes will "collapse" of excitement every time my husband and I come home. From my experience, I feel dogs are so loyal. Even though Hermes is a dog, through him I have learned that love should be unconditional. You see, your dog will never judge you, regardless of it all, his/her love will remain intact. On the less mushy side, an AMAZING thing about being a dog mom is all the unexpected things that your dog will do, and that you will enjoy (and record). For example, when Hermes first came and cried for the first time, he sounded just like a cat - Literally!! It was very funny, but at the same time a bit scary (lol). Initially, we thought it was because he was a puppy, but guess what… it wasn’t. The sound never went away! He still sounds like a cat all the time. When we walk him everyone is obsessed with him (and want to pet him), but then he starts making his cat sounds... The reaction from everyone is like WTF, and it’s priceless. It’s so funny, and we love it. So for anyone reading this, I guess I'm actually a cat-dog mom.

How did shoot my travel help capture a timeless memory?
Well we booked shoot my travel because it was the first time the two families (my hubby and mine) were traveling together. It wasn’t a “big special occasion” but a very fun weekend that we wanted to remember! We were such a big group, with total 15 people and my baby Hermes, and thanks to Shoot My Travel we now have amazing pictures that captured those memories. Also, we really wanted cool pictures with Hermes and the family in NYC! (couldn't’ have been a better scenario)

Want to hear more about different #momslens stories? Make sure you stayed tuned this week as we feature more of our traveler moms.

P.S. Did you like Juli’s & Hermes’ story? Then make sure you follow Hermes’ on Instagram: thelifeofhermes

#Momslens on unconditional mom love