This weekend, I came across an article in the Washington Post Magazine. It was about “why old dogs are the best dogs.” But, it was the editor’s letter that struck me. “My dog terrifies me,” he said. The letter continues to relay his fears of losing his dog, Sally. “She’s getting older.” And, as he goes on about their relationship, he says something that touches me even more. “Dogs choose to whom they belong …” and I think he is absolutely right.
My dog, Nikki, and I have a connection. We’ve had it since the moment we met at a local dog shelter in Charleston three years ago. I adopted her when she was just three months old. I do not know what her life was before we met, but I know it wasn’t easy. I do know this though—the minute we met, she chose me.
Nikki is very special to me. She makes me feel important and needed. She makes me feel that there is no one else more important than me. In the last three years, we have already generated so many memories. It’s the simple moments that I cherish most: playing Frisbee at the dog park, lying in bed with her at my feet, or just having her around.
She is only three years old, but knowing that she will go before me scares me. And, though I have captured many memories of her digitally and in my head, I decided that there was only one way to secure our memories eternally—in a painting. I wanted to capture Nikki in her prime, looking regal and happy. So this past summer I asked one of my dearest friends, Martha Sharp, to paint a painting of us.
I had been an admirer of Martha’s work for a longtime. Her paintings bring out a wide variety of emotions when gazing at them. She captures her models in their most intimate moments, using color and light. She takes insignificant moments, and turn into something more.
For this painting, Martha captured Nikki and I enjoying what we like to do most—being together outdoors. Set on a warm summer day, I am sitting under a tree; reading one of my favorite novels while Nikki sits beside me, soaking in the sun’s rays.
The painting now hangs on my wall in my living room. It’s beautifully displayed in a handcrafted frame made by her. It is a symbol of our bond, and each time I look at it, I am filled with emotion. So for me, it’s not simply painting, but an eternal memory.
