I was deleting unnecessary files on my laptop as preparation for this academic year when I stumbled into a folder named "Photography Memories". Reading the folder name, I remembered that I made a compilation of my mobile photographs that I took two years ago. Excitedly, I doubled clicked the folder and saw a bunch of random pictures. There are a lot of pictures of the sky, sunsets, plants, insects, and trees. I can't help but laugh at myself because some of the photos are not at a perfect angle, you can eventually see how noob I am in taking pictures. The subject is not aligned in the frame and some are completely blurred.
If I'm going to compare my photographs before and now I'm glad that I can see an improvement. That's an achievement for me! I continued scrolling down the cursor when I saw the images of our dogs. The smile on my face slowly vanished and the memories of myself with them started to play on my mind like a flashback.
Meet Abby, our buddy that is full of sweetness and gentleness. She is the type of dog that loves to cuddle. Wherever I go she will follow. She is like our tail oftentimes at our home. She has bright pair of hazel eyes, it's not noticeable in the picture but it's hazel. She has a combination of white and orange furs that she probably inherited on her father's side. Her eyes are what I love the most because it's like I'm looking at a descending sunset.
I remember this time when I'm taking pictures in our garden, she and our other dog Tobert accompanied me. They are like bodyguards that are ready to defend me. They are just there scattered all around, sometimes they are playing, and sometimes just laying. They are waiting for me to finish and get down. Since I took a lot of pictures of plants and sunsets already, an idea suddenly popped up in my mind. What if I made them my model? They are an interesting subject! Which I did.
I waited for them to stay in place before I tried to shoot my shot. I first go to Abby, she is silently laying on the ground while her eyes are closed. Without warning, I started scratching the top of her head. She suddenly opened her eyes, look up at me, feel my hands, closed her eyes again, and then flashed her beautiful smile showing her canines and tongue. She is enjoying every bit of it! Look at the picture! She is silently telling me not to stop. I don't know how many minutes I scratched her head but I soon stop when I take a good shot already.
Do your dogs or other pets like being scratched too?
The sky turned orange meaning the sun is starting to set. I noticed Abby sitting while looking at her playmate. A good opportunity to capture a candid shot. I used a knotted rope as props and then point out my camera in the middle. When the focus is already settled, I pressed the shutter button. Here's the result! I love this photo but my only concern is the background is too noticeable. Just don't mind the clothes hung in the rearview, just focus your eyes on the beautiful model in front of you.
This is Tobert. I know that the name is pretty unique and funny but blame my father for that. I want to name him Choco or Brownies but my father said that's too common so he decided to call him Tobert. He named him after his close friend named Berto, he just rearranged the name, and then voila! Tobert has black pair of eyes, and a black snout, his fur is quite thin and his color is brown. He is the total opposite of Abby, he is sometimes aggressive but he is playful and naughty. He likes climbing and eating something unusual like flowers.
As you can see in the picture, he is a certified model. From his post, he seems like on the beach waiting for some chicks to pass by.
What I love most about him is his fur, I love stroking and rubbing his body tickling him around. I tried doing the same head scratch that I did to Abby but they don't have the same reaction. He is just poker face while looking at me. He is sometimes playful but he is quiet and alert all the time. If he sees a rat or a cat, he will eventually try to catch them back.
I remember him eating some pink daisies which I eventually stop. He is the primary suspect when our garden especially the flowers got destroyed. But even though he is like that we still love him very much. We stayed in the garden until the sky turned dark, they stayed at my side and never leave me behind. They participated in my trips, become my model for a day, and I also manage to talk to them. They are great listeners though, they just sit there and listen without judgment.
It's fun to reminisce about my memories with them back then. It's just sad to know that they are both in paradise right now. But that's okay because I'm sure that wherever they are right now, there will be no pain again for them. These photos just reminded me how I long for their presence and how I miss them. I'm glad that I was able to take a lot of photos and make memories of them together. I will forever treasure it and will never forget that they are once became a part of my life.
Indeed, they are man's best friend. My best buddies.
