One Dog's Life

I had never met a dog who would stop and pose for a photo...until I met Broadus (Brody to his friends). It was August of 2008 and my nephew was getting married in Kelowna, B.C.  As I was living in Toronto, I had not yet met his best friend or his bride to be. It was a joyous family occasion and a memorable meeting on both counts. I am not sure whose eyes were more startlingly beautiful, his dogs or his brides, but I came away with lasting impressions of both.

As it turns out, the dog was involved in the wedding ceremony. Not quite the best man, but certainly his role as ring bearer would give him "best dog status" at the very least. It was a casual affair in a natural setting in one of the Okanagan's lush apple orchards. The summer blooms were at their peak, the sun was shining and the cicadas hummed. The groomsmen wore off white linen pants and casually untucked light brown shirts and the groom switched things up with a light green shirt, so Brody, with his healthy shiny brown coat blended in with the wedding party, or maybe the wedding party was meant to blend in with him. Either way, whether intended or not, he was the perfect accessory at this festive occasion. He even had a place of honour on top of the wedding cake. 

Broadus sat through the ceremony next to his much loved owner. He did not slouch or whimper or try to run off. He stood proudly with the best man and calmly witnessed Johnny and Gayle's wedding vows, as any good dog would. He held the bride's ring fastened to his collar waiting for his moment to shine. Afterall, he was not just any old dog that day - he was the only four-legged member of the wedding party. The flower girl only had two legs, and besides, she seemed unable to sit still like he had. Hmmmfff! Humans!, he must have been thinking. 

After the ceremony, it was time for him to really strut his stuff. Photo time! Now, I am not really sure how it all started, but since he was a pup, at the sight of a camera appearing, Brody would jump into action. I reckon he must have been a celebrity or a male model in a past life, but this dog LOVED working the camera. He had this crazy innate sense to pose at the sight of any lense, big or small. He knew how to look directly into the lense, cock his head a little as though he knew his best side and hold still until after the click. He was a pro, through and through. Maybe he just knew how handsome he was, or was  not keen on having bad photos of himself swirling around the internet - who knows? All I know is that he was the easiest dog to photograph that I had ever met and likely ever will. 

Photos are a wonderful thing. As we move through life capturing moments and making memories, we are creating little visual treasures that can be revisited time and time again, whenever we get the urge to go back to a time that made us happy. And so, today, the morning after his passing, I am sure there are many who knew Broadus who are doing just that. Reliving past moments and smiling and remembering a good dog. 

A very good dog. A  much loved dog.

RIP Brody. You will be dearly missed.