I hate to even say it because I feel like I may be a jinx, but it is the truth, for all of us. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. I've had a few clients contact me for a session with their senior dog, but want to wait a few weeks, or months, for - insert reason here - warmer weather, greener grass, a better groom on the dog etc. and then sometime before the scheduled session I receive the dreaded email letting me that now Fido has crossed the rainbow bridge and the client regrets that they waited. I've said it before but it bears repeating; I've never had a client regret having a photo shoot with their pet, only that they waited too long to do. 

2021 seemed to be an especially hard year for the passing of pets among my group of friends. I was afraid to look at Facebook because it felt like my feed was filled with only sad news. I cried over the beautiful tributes written for beloved pets. Some were lost suddenly and for others, the time had come to relieve their pain.

We faced that very decision with our own Dingo in 2021. He fought valiantly against his cancer diagnosis, but one day we realized that we were teetering a little too close to the line of more good days over bad. I read once "better one day too soon than one day too late and allow your dog to suffer or lose their dignity" and I've never forgotten that. When Dingo was diagnosed in 2020, after calling the oncologist, the second call I made was to my friend Sylvia for updated family photographs seen here. He was still feeling good and looked happy and healthy, just how we wanted to remember him. They brought my husband and I much comfort in the weeks and months after we lost him and a print of Dingo and and I sits on my desk where I can look at it every day.