My childhood dog passed away recently after spending 15 years with my family. She had such a strong personality and we all miss her big eyes and floppy ears.
Since this is a blog about photos, I’d like to share a photo story. This dog came with me to my first photo assignment (a portrait for The Chapel Hill News). It was looking very stormy out that day, and she had a tendency to scratch the door until her paws bled when she was left alone in the midst of thunder. She also had a bladder stone back then and felt the urge to urinate 10 times every half-hour. That combination was bound to end in disaster, so I decided to throw her into the car with me at the last second.
I got to the assignment 45 minutes early, parked across the street from the subject’s house, and began sketching out ideas to calm my nerves. Meanwhile, my dog was trembling with fear in the passenger seat. I was supposed to take a picture of a former Coca-Cola executive, who also happened to be one of the product’s biggest fans. He had amassed hundreds of Coke-related trinkets over the years, and kept the massive collection in his refinished basement. I thought it was the most important story in the world.
Just before the scheduled appointment, I let the dog out of the car so she could relieve herself, promised her I would be right back, and begged her not to pee in the seat as I shut the door in her face.
When I rang the doorbell the Coke-man’s wife answered with a big smile and the man himself quickly emerged right behind her. The wife told me that she had seen me walking my dog, and that I was welcome to bring her inside if I wanted. I envisioned the dog taking a whiz on some prized Coca-Cola artifact and rejected the offer.
“Well, she is just beautiful! What’s her name?” the lady asked.
A realization flashed over me. I knew she was not going to like my answer, but I couldn’t think of a good lie. “Actually, her name is Pepsi,” I responded.
The irony was completely lost on both of them. They seemed offended and I immediately wished I hadn’t brought the dog. Afterward I took Pepsi home and she peed on my floor. It was an awkward start to my career.
1 Comment
December 4, 2007 at 6:04 pm
nothing worse than losing a family pet
my dog buster died this fall too
just ask jenn how much i balled about that one
i love this story
it never gets old
pepsi would be proud