Photographing pets. Why I do what I do.

An adorable black lab rescued from a litter of yellow and black lab puppies back in the summer of 2005 was what Leia and I needed to get through the grieving process. Kenobi will be his name. (appropriately named by my 11 year old daughter-princess Leia-who was also a huge Star Wars fan). He was goofy, unruly, rowdy, obnoxious, hyper, naughty. All the time. And yet, silly, sweet, adorable, affectionate and gentle-believe it or not. When he was about a young immature pup, he ran 27 laps around my ginormous backyard (must have been the greyhound in him). And for Christmas dinner, he jumped on the kitchen table and gobbled up an entire box of Norwegian chocolates. (called the vet, and Dr. D explained what to do to get him to up chuck the chocolates!-on Christmas!) Food was his life and my counters never looked better! On walks with his blond 5 pound pom brother Furby by his side, they would bark and get into play attack mode when anything moved on the other side of the street (could have been one of those dangerous baby strollers). When I called him and his bf to come inside I would holler: 'cookies and milk!' this meant you could expect some serious treats if you came in NOW! He got me motivated every morning. He made me giggle. He pissed me off. He made me cry. He was a handsome model. He was my doofuss black lab and I loved him with all my heart. My routine was set for life with him. 2 weeks ago he started acting weird and I didn't think nothing of it. Peeing alot. Drinking alot. Visited Elkhorn Animal Hospital(Dr. Dritely and Dr. Ravensborg are the BEST!) and they prescribed antibiotics. He stopped eating for an entire week. Zero appetite. Slept for 23 hours in the day. At the vet they took a picture of my poor best friend and saw cancer. Nothing prepares you for cancer in a young dog. I have a beautiful collection of photographs of Kenobi. From a pup to a grey faced old man lab. And this is why I do what I do. Every photo of Kenobi warms my heart and makes me smile! They lift my spirits and throw away the stress. I have treasures that I believe everyone who loves their pet as much as I do should have! They say dogs live in the moment. I believe they do that because they know they are only here on this earth for a short time. And Kenobi truly lived in the moment. RIP my friend. You are gone, but never forgotten!!!