|
One of my regular assignments is the weekly "Pet of the Week" photo. I understand most people dread these things, but I actually look forward to them (can't have pets in my apartment...). In July, the vet I was at wanted a shot of a particularly scruffy Basset Hound cross who was turned over to the vet clinic by an elderly lady after complaints by the police about his barking. The vet thought he was going to be hard to place because "Stomper" wasn't as cute as the puppies and kittens which he had to compete with for a home. His photo ran the next week and Stomper was immediately adopted by a family with three small children. Stomper and the children bonded right away and were inseparable, including sleeping with the kids every night. He never displayed any of the bad habits which got him incarcerated at the vets office. |
 |
Last month while I was out at that vet clinic to get another POW shot, I was told that Stomper had been killed. Hit by a car. I thought it was sad, but common thing when dogs and cars mixed. Then the vet's wife told me how it happened.
The kids had a favorite fishing hole a couple of blocks down the gravel county road where they lived. It was not heavily traveled, so their mother let them go to it unsupervised. On the way back, a speeding car came over the hill and ended Stompers life.
The family that adopted Stomper was Native American. The mother of the family related to the vet s wife that Native Americans have a belief about dogs. The belief states when a dog becomes a member of a family, actually lives with and is accepted into the family, it has a specific purpose on earth. You see, when that speeding car came over the hill that day, Stomper s purpose came to be. Stomper jumped out into the road and knocked the littlest of the children out of the path of the vehicle, saving his life.
The reason for this sad but true animal story was it made me realized how one little POW photo had affected the life of that family. I don't take credit for anything but shooting the photo, but it was a catalyst which brought that dog and family together. I have a new respect for the small assignments now. They too can have a profound effect on the community and are every bit as important as "the big one" that I had always looked for.
|
Behind
the Viewfinder - A Year in the Life of Photojournalism |
