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The person behind MeetThePaws
Hi, I’m Tim.
I live in Grootebroek and work as an optimisation specialist in Amsterdam. Photography is my creative outlet and, combined with animals, usually also a remarkably calming hobby.
During a meeting I am calm, sometimes a little reserved, but above all observant. In fact, I start looking before a meeting even takes place. How is the animal feeling? Happy, tense, tired or perhaps a little sad? That helps me decide whether to approach the owner.
A photograph is never more important than the animal’s wellbeing. I want to keep the meeting light and natural. Most importantly, I hope the owner leaves feeling that their animal always came first.
The animal always comes first.
What is MeetThePaws?
An unexpected meeting. A memory that stays.
MeetThePaws is built around short, spontaneous meetings between me, a pet and their owner. No appointment, no forced pose and no complicated plan. It is free and never by appointment. I look at the animal first. Only when the moment feels right do I ask the owner if I may take a few pictures.
The owner gets immediate access to the complete series in their personal Envelope. They can view, download and share the photographs there. One photograph is printed instantly as an Instax and given to them as an unexpected memory of our meeting.
Once the Main Photo appears on social media, the public story opens on the website too. Other photographs from the same meeting can return on social media later.
Every animal has a story worth remembering.
Where it may grow
Big online. Personal in real life.
I dream of almost daily posts on social media, new stories and a growing group of followers who enjoy coming back. A website that people visit often and support enough to cover its costs while also giving something back to animals that need extra help.
That is why I hope to work with animal shelters, vets and organisations that do good things for animals. Think of Charlotte’s Angels, where older dogs in the Netherlands are given a new home and a second chance. If MeetThePaws can help animals become visible sooner and bring them closer to a forever home, this project will mean even more to me.
Online, MeetThePaws can grow as big as it wants and, thanks to my travels, perhaps even become international. The experience for each owner should remain personal. A real meeting, an unexpected Instax and the feeling that their animal was completely at the centre of that moment.
More reach for more animals.
The muse behind MeetThePaws
Maui
11 November 2019 • 18 May 2026
The muse behind MeetThePaws
Our boy
We first saw Maui in December 2019. One month later, we brought him home as an eight week old puppy. From that moment on, he was a full member of our family. Not as a pet, but as one of the children. As our son.
Ask anyone who ever met him and you will hear roughly the same answer. Maui was the sweetest animal in the world. A dopey boy, a silly boy, incredibly friendly, a cuddle bug and, most of all, one very waggy butt.
To me, he was my boy and my regular model. He happily allowed almost anything as long as there was a biscuit waiting for him afterwards.
As a puppy, he loved sleeping in the window frame. Even after growing into a 45 kilogram Labrador, he saw no reason to stop. He did not always need attention, but he always wanted to be close to people. Whenever someone walked towards the kitchen, Maui was especially quick to join them.
He sat with us on a chair during dinner and came with us everywhere. Maui was not simply around us. He was part of everything we did.
The first idea
Where MeetThePaws began
Maui passed away on 18 May 2026.
Very soon afterwards, I realised how much comfort our entire family found in the enormous number of photographs we have of him. As a hobby photographer, I often used Maui as my model and almost always brought a camera whenever we went somewhere together.
Only when he was no longer here did I fully understand how valuable those photographs truly are. They bring back more than his appearance. They bring back his expression, his silly moments and everything that made him Maui.
As a dog photographer, I had often said that people usually only think about having beautiful photographs taken when it is too late. At the same time, not everyone can afford professional photographs.
That thought became the first idea. An idea that later became MeetThePaws.
Maui was not only the muse behind MeetThePaws. He is the Paw I wished everyone could meet. MeetThePaws grew from that wish.
The MeetThePaws experience
A small envelope. A lasting memory.
The meeting does not end when the camera is put away. I give the owner something tangible and a doorway into the story that follows.
01
Meet
No perfect pose or complicated plan. I begin by making a connection, paying attention, and giving the pet room to be themselves.
02
Photograph
During our meeting I create a series of photographs. I print one of them immediately, right there, on Instax Mini.
03
The envelope
The Instax and a card carrying a unique handwritten code are placed together in a small envelope for the owner.
04
The story unfolds
The code opens the owner’s personal digital Envelope, where they can share additional details and later find the photographs and published story.
What MeetThePaws stands for
Real pets. Real stories. Real moments.
MeetThePaws is not about making pets look perfect. It is about seeing them as they are. Funny, stubborn, gentle, loud, curious or completely lost in their own world. That honesty makes every story worth preserving.
Questions, ideas or collaborations?
Have a question about MeetThePaws, the website or a possible collaboration? Feel free to get in touch.
