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When it came time for Priscilla Rattazzi to put together her latest book, Luna & Lola, the photographer faced a daunting process. Over 13 years, she had taken thousands of photos of her two family dogs. Editing the collection was an agonizing process that took months; each photo was loved as much as the next.

The resulting volume is a beautiful tribute to the pooches that came to rule a part of her life – Luna, a saintly Golden retriever who died recently, and Lola, a neurotic and wicked dachshund who still runs wild through the house.

"It was a balancing act," Rattazzi tells PEOPLEPets.com. "I wanted some great black-and-white portraits that look like fashion shots on some level, but I also wanted funny ones, as well as darling ones that would make people melt."

Many of the photographs that ended up in the book were taken along the beach in East Hampton, Long Island, where Rattazzi had an abundance of natural light. There are shots of Luna soaking in the sun on the sand, and Lola's ears blowing every which way in the wind.

Luna, who was relaxed and who loved the water, was easy to photograph. Lola, on the other hand, moved around a lot and was desperately camera-shy.

"The little one did not like to be photographed," Rattazzi says. "I think she was scared of my camera. Any time I would point my camera at her, she would run away."

But over the years, thanks to a lot of persistence and sometimes a bit of sheer luck, Rattazzi was able to capture her dogs – alone, together and with her family – in all their loveable essence.

Luna & Lola ($45, Callaway) is now on sale, in stores and online.

For a preview of Priscilla Ratazzi's photographs of Luna and Lola, check out our photo gallery of images from the book.