I cried in the car, most of the way home.

When a client books a photo session because their dog doesn’t have much time left, well, it’s never easy… certainly not for my clients and not for me either. And upon meeting Duke, it was pretty clear that his joyful life was nearing its end: his neurological issues have taken away most of his control of his back legs, so he walks/hobbles everywhere he goes. His parents are now in the habit of carrying Duke up & down the stairs to their second-floor apartment every day… which is something they hoped they’d never have to do. But despite his physical limitations, Duke’s amazing, radiant personality shined through every second of our session – and that’s why he left me overjoyed to have known him, but heartbroken to know that his time left is measured in days.

But I bet you’re wondering why I called Duke an “impossibly popular” dog! If you had spent about two minutes with us in Balboa Park, you’d know why: it’s because his personality is absolutely magnetic! Family after family, person after person, we were practically bombarded with people who wanted to meet Duke! He was a conversation piece for people with & without dogs to approach us & compliment his handsome looks… it was practically overwhelming! I mean, to be honest with you, my photo sessions are always somewhat attention-getting in public, and I’m accustomed to people stopping to watch (and even taking a few pictures of me as I work!). But this was a whole new level of attention. And Duke’s parents are used to all the fuss; they say that people who are scared of dogs feel safe around Duke, that anti-dog people (are there such people?!?) stop to pet him & chat. And of course, Duke makes friends with every dog he meets. His popularity literally crosses the bounds of species – and honestly, it’s amazing to witness!

Whew – enough chatter! Let’s get to the photos! :)

This is Duke, with his permanent big grin.

Despite his back legs’ issues, Duke wanted nothing more than to run around at the park! And he can still move pretty fast!

He loves that tennis ball. Loves it. Sometimes he even gets vocal about it…

And last but not least, we visited one of Duke’s favorite spots in the world, the Coronado dog beach. I think he could have walked in circles up & down the beach with his big ball all day long… and I think he’ll be running along the sand at the big beach in the sky, right after he crosses the Rainbow Bridge.

Brian & Russ, thank you so much for introducing me to your handsome boy. What a special dog. I’m really looking forward to showing you the rest of our photos soon.