Boomer

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing one of my absolute favorite dogs in the whole entire world, (along with his brother and some of my favorite people, too!). Boomer, this handsome American Bull Terrier/Shih Tzu mix, is “my dog that got away”. (Oh, that Bull/ShihTz thing?  Yes folks, you got that right. And there is DNA testing to prove it. No kidding!)

Yes, he is the one that got away – and I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Boomer. Not only that, but he is also kind of like one of the dogs of my childhood, in a way. You see, Boomer is the second coming of my childhood dog, Moose, who was this magnificent Pit-bullish, lovable, formidable, goofy shelter dog that we raised along with his two mismatched brothers (a Terrier mix and an American Eskimo/wolf mix, also rescued mutts), and an assortment of cats, hamsters, rabbits, snakes, tortoises, parrots, cockatiels, a Moluccan Cockatoo… you get the idea. But even in that crazy menagerie, Moose was always the star of the show.

Well Joe is one of my best friends from high school, and he always had a special love affair for my dog, Moose. Not any creepy, weird-kind of love affair, but he just really liked my dog. And through the years, (seriously, I’m talking like decades), I would always ask him if he was ready yet for a dog in his life. What kind of dog would he be interested in? Was he really taking his search for the perfect dog seriously? Oh heck, would he like for me to just go out and find a dog for him? And Joe would always say to me, “Well, you know, if only there were another Moose…. then I’d take him in an instant.” So then I’d drop the topic for awhile, begrudgingly accepting that there could never be another Moose, and planning to resurrect the conversation at another time when I might be feeling more convincing and Joe more open to a four-legged companion.

And then it happened. I got a call from a friend in Cincinnati who does rescue work, and she asked if I could help out with a pit-mix puppy that she had just found but couldn’t keep. She knew he didn’t stand a chance at the local shelter and desperately needed to find a home for him fast.  She did the usual – emailed some info and a photo.  And that was all it took. I didn’t need to think about it any more. Come to think of it, I don’t even recall if I even bothered to ask Chris if we were in the market for another dog. But after taking one look at this puppy, and seeing the Moose twinkle in his eye, I just knew I couldn’t turn him away.  So I brought him home and we all fell in love with him (especially Chris, in case you were wondering). But we had just lost our beloved dog of many years, of “first child”, Calvin. And our other girl, Findlay, was only recently recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous growth. And we had two young children, maybe not ready for the brute strength and playfulness of this pit pup.  Admittedly, it really wasn’t the right time to be bringing another dog into our home. But I also knew that there was a reason that Nicole had found this dog, and that she reached out to me for help, and that I took him in, without really considering the decision, when she couldn’t. Because always in the back of my mind, I still knew that out there I had a very capable -yet-vacant dog-home with one of my very close friends, and until I filled that void, I would forever feel inadequate. And what was that that Joe had always said to me anyway? “Well, you know, if only there were another Moose, then I’d take him in an instant.”

So this was it. Time to put it all on the line.  Time to test my lifelong friendship – and the depth of Joe’s character.  I had done my part, clearly.  Now, it was time to see what Joe was made of. So I picked up the phone and called him, 350 miles away.  It may have been a Thursday, in the afternoon, and after not connecting for several months, the call would have been completely unexpected.  Joe, being an ER doctor, had a pretty crazy and unpredictable schedule, and I was lucky to even catch him on the phone. But there he was, on the other end of the phone, glad to hear from an old friend and find a few minutes in his day to chat. “Hey Joe, how are you? Hope you’re well. Haven’t spoken in awhile. So, what are you doing this weekend? Oh, by the way, I’ve got Moose for you. Yes, really. I found you your very own Moose! I did it! Its been 20 years, but he’s here in Ohio, and he needs a home, and he’s waiting for you at my house. You’ve got to see him. Oh, did I mention that he’s “Moose”?  Just like you wanted?  And he REALLY needs a home. So, when can you come and get him?” And I’ll be darned if Joe didn’t get in his car the very next day and drive six hours and take that dog home with him.

Joe and Boomer became fast friends, and I knew that I could finally feel good that I had fulfilled my promise to him – to one day find him the perfect dog. But the story doesn’t end there. Because, in the end, finding the perfect dog also helped him to find the perfect wife! To make a long story short, single guy gets dog, dog gets girl, guy gets girl, and then, single guy gets dog number two (lucky guy!!).  Enter Luca:

Luca, who was part of the package-deal with Rae, is a lovable Labradoodle. Some of my fellow pet photographer friends will recognize Boomer and Luca, as they were doggie models at a Cowbelly pet photography workshop held in Chicago last summer.Rae and Joe are happy newlyweds and doting parents to their fur kids.  I love that they, (ah, or should I say, she) loves her dogs just as much as I do.  And that Joe “puts up with” their dogs just as much as Chris does. And I’m so happy for them and thrilled to have played some small role in their destiny to find one another, even if it was only through my own obsessive desire to play matchmaker for pets, to place at least one homeless animal in the home of every single one of my friends!

“Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one”. ~Anonymous

Luca very patiently let my son, Aiden, use him as a prop in his homemade cardboard box-house this weekend. It was so funny when Aiden saw the dogs for the first time when they walked in. He had met Boomer before, but never Luca. And he just couldn’t get over Luca’s size. Both Aiden and Connor kept referring to him as “the horse” all weekend. I couldn’t believe they convinced Luca to climb through that little door and into their house with them.  He’s looking rather suspicious, however. Not sure he ever really quite let his guard down!

Is this dog awesome, or what? I LOVE him.

Boomer enjoys a well-deserved snooze, finally worn out after a long day of swimming, running, chasing, jumping, chewing, tugging, wrestling and barking.

Those of you who knew Moose will really see him in this next picture.

Am I lying?

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” ~ Roger Caras

How sweet is this?  I love this picture of Rae and Luca.  Did I mention that Rae LOVES her dogs??!

Rae and Joe, you two are a great couple and so perfect together. And with Luca and Boomer, you’re officially one incredibly wonderful family!

Joe, you’re such a loyal and true friend, and I’m so fortunate to have you in my life. And Rae, we’re all so happy that Joe found someone as fun and loving and you, and that you’re now part of our lives, too! (Personally, I’m thrilled to have another like-minded animal lover among us… now we’ll have to keep working on these husbands of ours, with their professed “love-hate” relationship with our pets! Ha! We WILL prevail.)

Thank you, Rae and Joe, for letting me photograph your family. What a special treat it was for us to see you this past weekend. I miss you!