Any human who is fortunate enough to be owned by a hound will have experienced the joy of pure, dog induced happiness. There’s just something uniquely special about dogs isn’t there, something that draws us to them, and them to us. This is why I choose to photograph them: to celebrate them.
You probably know by now, but in case you don’t, my name is Sarah and I am owned by Dexter the border collie. I’m also a dedicated dog photographer. You will most likely find me out and about in a beautiful part of Wales (frequently on the Gower) with my camera in hand, treats at the ready and a dog having a whale of a time posing for me so that I can create some beautiful artwork for their humans to treasure. You may ask why I do this, the only answer I can give you is because I genuinely believe that our dogs should be celebrated. They deserve to be celebrated because their impact on our lives is everlasting, even though their time with us can be fleeting.
As I write this, Dexter is lying fast asleep on the floor at my feet, acting as an oversized, but perfectly formed hot water bottle keeping my toes nice and toasty. Dexter celebrated his 7th birthday in April and while I know that he isn’t old, I also know that he isn’t young either. I know that in comparison to me, his life will be unfairly short, but I also know that his life has been filled with love, happiness, excitement and fun.
Like almost every other dog owner, he has been a huge part of our lives; he’s accompanied us on all of our holidays, he’s enjoyed his own full Christmas dinner with us every single year (as well as unwrapping his own Christmas presents) he’s met so many wonderful dogs (even though he likes to be aloof), he’s been to many new and exciting places full of new smells and sounds and he’s made the most of it. More importantly, we’ve made the most of him – just having him around makes life that much better. His morning howl to greet us when we wake up, the way he bombs down the stairs to say hello when we come home, the way he hogs the bed(!) – all the little things he does, albeit unwittingly, brings a smile and brings a bit more light into our lives. I think any person who is owned by a dog can relate to this; they are our constant. They’re unjudgmental, ever present, optimistic, loving, warm, dependable…the list goes on. The point is that as the years go by, and these last seven years have gone by so fast, I have celebrated his presence in the only and best way I know how. By photographing him. And these photographs, I’m not ashamed to say, make up a dedicated Dexter wall in my home. I frequently look at these photographs and realise just how lucky we’ve been to have him in our lives.
This is why I do the same for others and why you will frequently find me lying on the floor (sometimes covered in mud or sand) camera at the ready trying to get the best possible angle for that perfect image…all for the love of DOG.
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