This past Saturday I was photographing several dogs for the American Lab Rescue group that we adopted Brewer from one year ago. I spent some time with Syndey and Joseph – more on them in the next post – while waiting for one lab to be surrendered for adoption that morning at 10am.
I didn’t exactly know that Murray was to be given up that very morning, and my reaction was a strong one. I’ve photographed many shelter dogs, but I’ve never experienced this part of their journey.
First and foremost, I was angry. At about 9:45am, my heart was racing, and I was so mad at these people that I thought I might need a muzzle of my own.
By 9:50am I was crying, outside, around the corner, because I was so sad that this dog was about to be sent off into such a horrible situation, and he had no idea what was coming or why.
Something changed in me at 9:55, however. I decided to walk around front and meet the situation head-on. I needed to see that these people were sad, that they loved their pet… and that they somehow were only here as a drastic last chance for the pup’s happiness.
What I found was a woman and her daughter – maybe 10 years old. She was a single mom who appeared to have adopted Murray herself only two months ago. He’d bitten two kids in two months, in situations where he was startled. They were bawling. With bite marks still on her cheek, the girl was hugging him tightly.
Biting isn’t an end-all, be-all. You can work on that. But having adopted him only two months ago, I think many people would have to do the same. All I can say is, I’m so happy that I got up and went out to meet them. I needed that perspective.
Murray’s obviously a handsome boy, and he’ll find a new home soon!
+ - 2 comments
Jennie Sloan - Now you’ve gone and made me cry. I see dogs get surrendered often… many for reasons that aren’t so nice, like the Lhasa that had an oozing cyst covered in maggots that was eventually euthanized last week, but sometimes people really don’t have a choice, and their heart really is breaking. Sometimes when I walk down the kennels and see all of those sad eyes, I need to remind myself of that. Thanks for helping me remember.
Nicole - This is such a complex, heartwrenching story. Hard to read (even harder with these stunning photos), and yet important. Thanks for your insights.