This blog post is for my sweet friend, Lisa! Her dog, Toby, of 14 years suddenly passed away…and I just saw him exactly a week ago! By nature, I’m not drawn to animals and have never personally had a pet growing up, but I remember being with Lisa and marveled at her exceptional love for her dog and even chuckled with her when she referred to Toby as her shadow because he was always next to her. For the short 20 hours that I was with my friend in Coronado, CA, Toby was with us for all our activities, except for the two meals that were shared just Lisa and I. What is surprising to me were the many photos I took of Toby in the short time. And I did a crazy thing by asking Lisa to get back out in the water with Toby on the paddle board just so I can take a photo of them with my professional camera. My friend graciously did what I asked just for a photo that was on my heart for her…and now the photos of them on the paddle board will always remind me of their last beautiful adventure together on the water that is their backyard. And I will also treasure the photos of Lisa carrying Toby…and the obvious love they have for each other. I know he will be greatly missed…
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” ~ James Herriot
MARIA PETERSON PHOTOGRAPHY
