Pets

Pets.  Mention that word to anyone and you almost immediately get a response that involves them gushing about the pet they own (unless, of course, they hate animals). Most of the time it feels more like you are listening to a parent babble about their child, and in reality we all know that pets are just another type of 'child' for most people.  

Over the course of the last year pets have become a predominant part of my life.  

In January my cousin got a puppy, Cody.  He quickly became a staple at every family function, with family members treating him as if he were a new baby in the family.  We all coo and talk to him like he can understand us. We all laugh at him when he does stupid cute dog things.  

A few weeks ago two of my good friends also adopted a puppy, Rawley (pictures coming soon!).  Although his time in everyone's life has been brief so far, we have quickly shifted gears so that all attention is on him when he's around (and how could you not with that cute face!).   We recently took him on a trip to the beach and we all praised and admired him as he swam in the bay, dug a hole, and frolicked around on the beach, as if we were all expecting him to not be able to instinctively do these (normal dog) things. 

Along with the addition of two furry friends, there has also been loss.  One of our cats 'ran' away from home, and hasn't been seen in almost two months (and we're all pretty sure Toby couldn't make it out in the wild). And another, Socks, passed away at the age of 15, and it was the first time that I've ever experienced a pet die. It was sad. Really sad. I cried more than I expected to. This is the first time in over 15 years that we have had less than 4 cats living in our house. My cat, Quincy, whom I adopted four years ago was the basis for which I could decide which apartment to live in come September.  As I scoured craigslist for an apartment, I tried to justify to myself paying hundreds of dollars over my allotted budget just so that I could keep my cat (luckily, an apartment was found that fit relatively within the budget AND allows cats). 

So my point: animals can make us act a little foolish sometimes.  

What does this all have to do with photography?  It means that I really love photographing pets.  I love that they can make us all insane enough to treat them like people, and that I have the ability to capture this 'human essence' every time I get the opportunity to photograph them.  And let's face it, I get nostalgic looking at pictures of Quincy as a kitten. If I could, I would photograph everyone's pets from beginning of life to end of life, if only they were crazy enough to pay me for it. 

Quincy

Socks

Cody

Sophie