where there’s a will… ~ Ontario pet photographer, end of life sessions

This is the very handsome Odin. There’s a bit of a story here … a sad one but also an uplifting one when it involves everything that came together to make his session work.

I was sitting up in bed, far too late, engrossed in political doom scrolling on my iPad when I received an emailed plea from Odin’s humans. They needed an Honour Session for their beautiful, vibrant boy. At only 4-years-young, they wrote, Odin has lymphoma.

Of course, with my own personal history – losing MY first boy at only 4-years to lymphoma – I responded immediately. And even though my body isn’t quite ready for the demands of shooting since my surgery, I knew there was no way I could or would ever say ‘no’ to Odin’s guardians. My current condition, however, was not the only hurdle. Odin’s own physical limitations had to be seriously considered. And with their heart set on the “tunnel of trees” location, we had another huge obstacle: that location is closed until May 1st, accessible only with a 15- to 20-minute trek.

From my own experience, I was not at all comfortable waiting until May 1st when the gates would be opened, and Odin’s parents were resolute that there was no way his limited energy levels could endure the trek in and out of the location, along with the walking required to access various settings for shots.

But where there is a will…

Among the various bits of equipment I have accrued over the years, I have an ample fold-out wagon, as well as a heavy duty garden cart with pneumatic tires. However, I knew that neither of those would be satisfactory as they would be cramped for Odin. And then I remembered my past client AnneMarie who brought her beautiful Dexter for his Honour session a year and a half ago. Dexter had had limited mobility, and AnneMarie showed up for his session with a colossal, heavy-duty wagon/trailer … the kind you would pull behind a 4-wheeler on the farm.

Here is good boy Dexter in his ride back during his session in 2022.

So … I posed the question to Odin’s parents whether they thought he would tolerate a wagon, and then immediately wrote AnneMarie. Of course, I should stipulate that I have some of the MOST amazing and dog-loving clients on the planet, and I was not at all surprised when AnneMarie emailed back within minutes. “Absolutely!” she wrote; not only did she still have Dexter’s wagon, she was touched at the thought of another dog making use of it for an Honour Session. On top of that, she drove it to Odin’s house herself the very next day for them so that he’d have a day to get used to it.

And with that, Odin was set. Even though AnneMarie offered to drive the wagon to and from the location as it doesn’t fit in many vehicles, Odin’s parents rented a UHaul truck for the wagon, brought their car for Odin, and even brought friends to help with all of it. Odin’s will surely be one of the most memorable sessions in my nearly 20 years of photographing dogs; we were such a ragtag group making that trek in to the location – physically and emotionally – but most memorable of all for me will be Odin’s stoicism. He rode in that wagon like he’d done it all his life, hopping out and back in with each setting I found for him, completely understanding the assignment and never once faltering in his determination to please everyone.

I am so very grateful for AnneMarie’s generosity, and I will forever respect the lengths to which Odin’s parents are going for this boy since his diagnosis. Much like my first boy Murph, Odin’s life might end up being shorter than it should be, but it will have been a life filled with SO much love and compassion. And in the end, I know first-hand just how much Odin will have taught his family with his grace, perseverance, and loyalty.

Thank you to everyone who made this session work. And thank you, Odin. You really ARE the good boy.