I'm a photographer so, not surprisingly, my house decor includes images displayed in many forms. Large framed photos hang on the wall, smaller photos appear on bookshelves in various decorative frames, and photo albums are conveniently placed on my coffee table. Quite a few of the images are of my gorgeous nephews but just as many (okay, maybe a few more) are of my dogs and cats. Yes, my pets are my babies.
In the United States alone there are 74 million pet cats and 69 million pet dogs. It's not uncommon to hear someone refer to their pets as their children. We inquire after our friends pets by asking "how are your babies?" In 2013, Americans spent $55.7 billion on their pets and that number is expected grow closer to $60 billion this year. We concern ourselves over the quality of their food and take them with us on our vacations. Knowing how much our pets give us, this upwards trend in pet popularity and care makes perfect sense. It also explains why pet photography has become increasingly sought after.
Our pets change in appearance over the years. So much so that it is sometimes startling. I recently came across a photo of one of my cats from when he was around six months old. He looked so different from present day I hardly recognized him. At six months his coat was vibrant, he was slender and there was something cheeky in his expression. At 11 he is not old, but the shape of his face seems to have changed and he has a more dignified air about him. And the same transformation has taken hold of my dogs as well. No longer the goofy adolescents they were when I first adopted them, they now sport gray muzzles and more soulful expressions.
Pet owners want to capture these changes through photography and they know that the quick, blurry snapshots taken with their cell phones just won't do their pets justice. Either in their home or at an outdoor location, they want to capture the unique characteristics of their pets in a beautiful portrait.
The other day, a friend of mine lamented that her beloved terrier was turning 10. Ten, she exclaimed! Wasn't it just yesterday that he was a puppy? We joke about dog years, but the difficult reality is that our pets are never with us long enough.
Certainly though, pet photography isn't just for helping us to remember the animals that are no longer with us. Photos of our pets sit on our desks and grace our screen savers, all serving to help us through a hectic day and to remind us of the greeting that awaits us when we arrive home. Just like me, many Americans place photos of their pets prominently throughout their house.
Most people, when asked what they would save in the event of a house fire, speak to an item that is irreplaceable. Assuming, of course, that all the pets and people are safe and sound, photos often top the list. This choice is not surprising: our memories are precious and photos help us to preserve those memories. And those memories, most definitely, include our pets.
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