"A Dog's Life"

More and more people are welcoming animals into their homes and treating them as family members. Pet owners are spending more time and money on the health and happiness of their pets in recent years. Things that would once have seemed extravagant—doggy daycares, pet cemeteries, and an expanding array of pet surgeries and treatments—are now common practice. The strong sense of grief many owners feel when a pet dies is nowadays considered a very natural reaction. Dogs (and pets in general) are to humans the confirmation of the existence of “the other”, a living being who needs looking after. Its presence reminds us of our necessity to share and of our instinct to empathize and survive. These dogs are photographed in the tradition of the most formal portraiture to emphasize their status as family members.