Anyone privileged enough to know a senior pup knows that there is nothing like the experiencing their wisdom and cuddles. Nancy LeVine captured the beauty of these special canines in her photo series and book Senior Dogs Across America.
The photographs evoke the full-life of these dogs by focusing, not only on the pups, but also environments in which they have lived, loved, and called home.
Nancy began the series 8 years ago after watching her own dogs age. She realized that they were not going to be with her for long. She wanted to commemorate their lives and the lives of other frosted faces. Though she only captures senior pups, she says the book is for “anyone who has loved a dog young or old.”
While the underlying theme is mortality, Nancy says in her artist statement for the series:
I saw how the dog does it; how, without the human’s painful ability to project ahead and fear the inevitable, the dog simply wakes to each day as a new step in the journey.
Senior Dogs Across America features dogs from all walks of life. There are farm dogs sitting on tractors or still herding cattle at the ripe old age of 13, as well as pups living in the city, sitting on park benches or taking an afternoon stroll.
There are no humans in the photographs, except for a few feet or a blurry shadows in the background. It’s all about the dogs. In total, the book showcases 86 images of loyal, happy, and matured senior puppers
You can purchase “Senior Dogs Across America” now or check out Nancy LeVine’s work here.
Feature image via Senior Dogs Across America
