"Dogs do speak, but only to those who listen!" Orhan Pamuk

"Before you get a dog, you can't quite imagine what living with one might be like;
afterward, you can't imagine living any other way."
Caroline Knapp

by Skip Cohen

It's Hump Day, and most of the time, I try and keep it as light as possible. As I started to write this post, I looked around the room, and the two knuckleheads you see up top were on the loveseats in my home office. They take turns hanging out with me and Sheila throughout the day. And they know the minute I point my phone their way, it's time to pose.

Each week, somebody on Facebook posts a sad post about losing a family pet, most often a dog. For a few minutes, I do a flashback to when I lost Molly the Wonder Dog and the emptiness I felt for months after. But here's the true beauty of our industry - it was the photographs and videos I had that helped me through losing her. It was all the memories captured over the years in pictures - professionally and grab shots.

This shot on the right was thanks to my buddy, "V" (Robert Vanelli). It was captured a few months before I had to let Molly go. It became one of my most valuable photographs and still pulls at my heartstrings.

It was months before I could even think about a new pup in the house...let alone two! It was Sheila's idea - two dog lovers need two dogs; one for each of us. The idea was perfect, and our lives are richer thanks to Belle and Lucy.

Here are my point:

• To everyone who has ever lost a pup or will in the future - never think you're alone. Every person who has ever had a dog understands your pain. Don't be afraid to share it.
  
• There's no such thing as too many pics of your dog or too much time hanging out with a pup.
  
• Remember, the top three reasons people hire a professional photographer. Based on a Kodak study years ago, it goes brides, babies, and pets. You're missing an opportunity if you're a working pro and not doing any pet photography.

Happy Hump Day!

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"Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart
as deep meditation, and almost as good for the soul as prayer."
Dean Koontz