26/08/2026
I didn’t know how, when or even if I would write this post as it’s still raw and so personal to us. But with today being International Dog Day / National Dog Photography Day, we feel it’s right - because Matilda was the reason I became a dog photographer in the first place.
On 20th April, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful girl Matilda, ages 10 1/4. Since that day we’ve been completely heartbroken and a grief like this is hard to explain - it’s indescribably painful, and some days the tears make it hard to breathe, but I know that the not-so-good days will eventually turn in to better ones.
Matilda was genuinely a beautiful girl……. But would she sit still for a photo? Absolutely not.
Most of the time I’d get her “won’t look Wednesday “ pose, and nothing more - and honestly, that was her character and I bloody loved her for it.
She loved everyone she met and I mean everyone. Her affection was infectious. I couldn’t walk her down the lane or take her on her favourite walks without her wanting fuss or offering it . If she saw someone she knew, that was it -she was off to greet them. Dogs were a different story….. some she adored, some she didn’t, and we worked with that.
Matilda like all our dogs was our constant. No matter what we were doing or where we were, she was always there like Velcro. In the loo, on the sofa, by the BBQ, on the bed to comfort us if one of us was poorly. And her ability to hear the fridge door open at a thousand paces never ceased to amaze me!
She inspired my photography when she had her litter of pups, she shaped my days, and she filled our lives with a love that is impossible to replace, but she will always be with us and we have so many wonderful memories and even as a photographer I appreciate how precious photographs truly are.
The everyday moments, the imperfect ones, the ones you don’t realise will matter until suddenly they do. The tears and the laughter and having those memories to hold on to has been a comfort I didn’t expect and a reminder of why I do what I do and why I love it so much.
Matilda was our world and she gave us her love unconditionally along with her mischievousness and capturing her story is a gift we could never be without.
We received some beautiful memory gifts from a number of friends , not all are on social media but we would like to thank Butternut Box for the beautiful flowers and card, Tianna Davis and Natalie and Amy Sankey for our beautiful wind chimes. It just showed us how loved she was by others.
Give your pooches the biggest of hugs and celebrate them every single day!
