Bella

This is another shot from my archives taken last May.

Bella was my friend's dog. She was a service dog for emotional support and therapy and did a fine job of it in her short life. She was only 4 yrs old when she developed a blood disease that depleted her red blood count. We were very sad to see her go. She died within 4 days after getting the disease.

I wanted to begin a project photographing pets. Since I live in an apartment building with 147 units where pets 25 lbs and under are allowed, it would be ideal for me to get a lot of practice and experience shooting the pets in my building.

My first subject was Bella, since she was so well-behaved and I knew her well, I thought it would be a great place to start. Little did I know that she would be dead within the next 4 days. I'm so glad I photographed her when I did. My friend didn't have any other pictures of her and he loved this dog so much. I never finished the project after she died. She was the only one I photographed for my project. I'm also glad that the photos turned out as well as they did. She was easy to handle and a good dog until the end. All the people in the building knew and loved her and she is missed by all of us, but especially by my friend.