Anyone who has ever had a pet in their family does not require any explanation to understand the love that one has for an animal. And as a member of the family, we quite often have the family pet join in on the family portrait session…most of the time, we see dogs because they travel well, but we have had some cats brought into our studio!
Now, imagine the love that a service dog elicits when you factor in that not only does this animal live with a family, they also provide an invaluable service to keep a family member safe.
Crusier lived with his family for almost a decade. He worked to keep an autistic child safe and sound, warning whenever he attempted to wander away from the family home. He provided comfort to everyone in the family - comfort to the parents knowing their child was looked after at all times, and comfort to all the kids in the family in the way that only a loved dog can do.
He grew up with a young child and helped him develop to be a senior in high school, becoming a recognizable figure in the hallways. He helped him grow to be a confident young man ready for his post secondary school life. And he was a member of the family…as all our pets become.
We were honoured to be asked to photograph this special family pet in his final days. He wasn’t very mobile - and probably wasn’t very happy being forced to model for the camera! - but we hopefully managed to provide some precious photographic memories of Crusier for his humans.
