What is it about old dogs that make us sigh and go aww? Do we remember our family dog when we were growing up and how they age but remain the faithful companion, even though it takes longer to get up to follow you from room to room, or slower to retrieve that ball, or when they no longer bark at the doorbell as their hearing isn't quite there like it used to be?
We never get to spend enough time with a dog since they age too fast. We have all had that special incredible dog we would have loved to share our entire lives with, but instead, they age too rapidly and are gone before we know it.
Along comes a photographer that has managed to do what most cannot. Pete Thorne has taken on a project so near and dear to any animal lover in his latest book, released Oct. 27, titled "Old Faithful: Dogs of a Certain Age." In this project, he has taken 75 senior dogs and photographed them, pulling the dignity, strength, character and soul of these dogs together with just his camera. The cockamamie teeth, cloudy eyes and greying faces all tell a life lived, and Thorne captures it effortlessly with pictures that are as unique as the dogs he photographs.
Thorne started the project after the 100th birthday of his grandmother as a way to study the aging process. Each photographed senior comes with a story of the dog from the eyes of the owner they share their sweet lives with.
"I was naive going into it," Throne says in his book's introduction, according to Animal Planet. "I was initially interested in photographing old dogs as caricatures of old guys and gals. My perception of the project quickly evolved as the owners' emotional responses made me aware of the deep connection that owners have with their pets, especially ones they have had for a good portion of their lives."
If you are a fan, pick up a copy of "Old Faithful: Dogs of a Certain Age" which is available now, and follow Pete Thorne on Facebook and Instagram to see more of visionary work. Share in the joy of your dog as he ages and enjoy the moments you have left. Whether it is one day or one year, they have all enriched our lives and made the world just a little bit better.
