A Photo A Day For Life
Six hundred and sixty-five days ago, my partner Shelly and I got in my truck and drove two and a half hours to Vermont to rescue a dog. When we pulled out of the driveway, I had no idea that day would mark the beginning of a photography project that would last years.
When my previous dog Khyber was diagnosed with cancer, I was heartbroken. I can't describe in words the relationship we had. I certainly wasn't his master, owner, or doggy Dad. I considered us good friends that happened to be two different species. Recognizing our friendship only had a few weeks left, I decided to pick up my camera and snap a 'Bonus Day' photo of Khyber every day until he passed. I did this to remind myself not to wallow in sorrow but to celebrate our remaining time. It was a decision I made in the spur of the moment upon return from the vet.
I started posting these photos on social media. I feared my audience would jump ship because my photographic work up to that point was focused on nature, wildlife, and landscapes. Some people did leave, but they were replaced by thousands more. It turned out that the story of a dying dog touched many people's hearts.
It was a story of love, sadness, celebration, and saying goodbye. It got picked up by regional and national news; iheartdogs.com, Adirondack Life, and ABC10's John Gray. Eighty-seven Bonus Days later, we said goodbye to Khyber, and thousands of people following online said goodbye too.
Day 3,808
Bonus Day 46
Khyber: Hey there Brendan, want to scratch my belly?
Me: Khyber is a belly rub monster. This is how we found the tumor on his spleen. His nightly routine is to go belly up as we get into bed. He knows both Shelly and I will stop on our way to bed to give him a good rub and lots of love. On July 3rd Shelly felt a small hard mass in his abdomen. Two days later we were at Lake Placid Animal Hospital to see Dr. Alison Flanigan, our favorite vet of all time and one of Khyber's favorite people. A few days after that we were in Albany to get an ultrasound. The news was about as bad as it could get, he had hemangiosarcoma and it had spread beyond his spleen. Surgery wasn't an option and chemo wasn't a good one either. He's on I'm-Yunity and Yunnan Baiyao in hopes they will slow the growth of the tumors and any bleeding. We aren't sure if they are helping, but we are sure glad we can still give him belly rubs whenever he asks.
As we drove the windy roads from our home in Saranac Lake, through the Adirondack Mountains, down into the lush Champlain Valley, and across Lake Champlain to Vermont, I couldn't help but think about how much of an impact Khyber's story had on so may people. I didn't know it at the time, but John Gray's video of Khyber would go on to win an Emmy. As we drove along, a tiny seed that I had been planted in my head months earlier began to take root. I began to ponder how I might share a similar story that would regularly bring joy and happiness to people around the world.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the rescue to look at the eight-week-old puppy they had, I knew we were likely taking him home. We had never seen him before, but I love dogs, and I knew the cuteness overload of a little puppy would wash away any doubt Shelly had. Sure enough, we formally welcomed Nico into our lives twenty minutes later and began the drive home.
On the way, we stopped at the fairgrounds in Elizabethtown, NY to let Nico stretch his legs and go to the bathroom. While there, under fading light, I snapped a photo of him. That was Day 1. I decided at that moment to embark on a years-long photography project to photograph a dog every day for its entire life.
Day 1: What a day. We got a call from Winnies Legacy Canine Rescue - Dog & Puppies, VT this morning that this guy and another pup were available for adoption. Shelly and I headed over this afternoon and ended up taking this little dude home. He was rescued from South Carolina. Him and eleven brothers and sisters were found with their mom under a trailer. He was the last one to find a home. He slept for nearly 3.5 hours on Shelly's lap as we ran a few errands and made the drive back home. Predictably, he is now on a rampage in our house. Welcome home bud.
I'm sure if I had thought about this more, I may not have done it. Khyber's Bonus Day series was exhausting. Most days involve dozens or hundreds of photos, culling, editing, and crafting a written post. It's anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour each day. Then there are dozens - probably hundreds at this point - of hours spent keeping a massive image library of dog photos organized.
So why do I do it? Well, it's pretty simple actually; it makes people happy. Our world is full of stress, conflict, and divisiveness. If the simple act of sharing a photo of Nico every day can help make someone else's day better, then it's worth doing. On top of that, it challenges my creative side and has forced me to learn a whole other dimension to photography.
Of course, there are aspirational reasons to pursue this effort as well. I dream of someday displaying all of Nico's daily photos in an exhibit. Or somehow figuring out how this creative endeavor could support me financially and help rescue dogs around the world.
So if you follow me on social media and wonder why I start each day out with "Day …." this is why. I hope you'll join us on this journey.
Day 315: Nico ran around Lake Colby for about four hours straight while we were out fishing. It was so sunny and warm that we didn't need a shanty, which made it hard for Nico to settle down for a nap. We are anticipating that he'll be tuckered out through tomorrow.
If you want to help support this crazy idea you can do so over on Patreon. Proceeds raised helps offset the time and expense of this project, as well as supports my conservation photography work.
