Corona The Greyhound (Click to enlarge)
Meet Corona. She’s one of two well-loved Greyhounds of one of our clients. Some months back 9 year old Corona’s mom and dad discovered she had a condition prohibiting the eating and swallowing of solid food. They were devastated. What to do? Anything. She had surgery to install a feeding tube that you cannot see because we posed her strategically to hide it from the camera. They have found other ways to give her some eating joy. Licking stuff like nut butter or even their skin. She loves to be fed, so the tube must give her some pleasure. Although she’s gained some weight back she’s got a way to go. But she’s happy, so her mom and dad are happy.
We photograph elderly and ill pets all the time, and find ways to hide certain maladies to give their families tender remembrances. Even though a tumor or a tube is part of the animal, the pet is not defined by that, so it’s more comforting to hide it, if possible. Sometimes clients will tell me that they want a scar left in the photo because “that’s who they are”. To them the scar is part of what defines their pet. It bears mentioning that these things need to be considered when posing your subjects.
I also want to point to a post I wrote a few months ago: Splitting Hairs. In it I tell of an empirical study proving that love can heal. My friend’s dog Gracie had just been diagnosed with brain and tongue cancer. She was nearly 12 years old. Gracie underwent radiation, then chemotherapy. She has now passed her 12th birthday and is back to playing ball – her favorite pastime.
It’s love and medicine, folks. Love leads us toward the right choices for healing. There is always hope. And hope you must.
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