22 photos from the session. Click any photo to see it large.
RIP Cody. Thank you, Kathleen, for letting me photograph you both. Cody sadly passed away a few weeks after our photo session.
Kathleen booked an end of life pet photo session for Cody at home. It was a one-hour session in their home, and the whole hour was just the two of them.
Who was Cody?
Cody was a Staffy with a grey muzzle, a soft face and the kind of eyes that look straight through you. By the time I met her she was slowing down and needed a lot more care than she used to, and Kathleen was giving it to her while going back to work and going through it all on her own.
Cody didn’t need to do anything for these photos. She lay on the deck, she leaned into Kathleen, she dozed, and now and then she looked up at the camera. That was all we needed to capture a set of photos that she could be remembered by.
Why Kathleen wanted end of life photos of Cody
Kathleen knew she didn’t have long left with Cody. She wanted photos of the two of them together, at home, while Cody was still comfortable and still herself. Not posed, not in a studio, just the two of them in the places Cody spent her days.
I understand that feeling. When my dog Chilli died in January 2025, my biggest regret was how few photos I had of the two of us together. It’s the reason I started offering these sessions.
An hour at home, at Cody’s pace
We stayed home. Cody’s spot was the timber deck, so that’s where most of these were taken during the afternoon. Kathleen lay down next to her, held her paws, fed her treats and talked to her, and I worked around them.
Home sessions suit dogs like Cody. There’s no car trip and nothing new to cope with. If she wanted to sleep, she slept, and some of my favourite frames from the hour are the ones where she’s asleep against Kathleen.
Hands and paws
A lot of what I photograph in these sessions is hands. The way an owner holds a paw or cups a face says more about years together than a posed portrait ever could. Kathleen held Cody’s paws the whole time, and I kept coming back to them.
Saying goodbye to Cody
A few weeks after our session, Kathleen let me know that Cody had passed away. She was honest about how hard it had been: the pain and grief, she said, were unimaginable.
She still wanted every photo from the session. She told me she couldn’t choose just five, and she bought the whole set so she’d have all of them. I’m grateful she let me spend that hour with them both.
What Kathleen said
“There amazing I love them all. I just balled my eyes out. Thank you for your amazing work it means so much to me.”
Kathleen, by message after seeing Cody’s photos
Shoot details
Dog
Cody, a senior Staffy
Owner
Kathleen
Where
At home
Session
End of life dog photography, one hour, just the two of them
Thinking about end of life photos for your dog?
If your dog is old or unwell, don’t wait for a perfect day. Cody still had good days when we did her session. A few weeks later, she was gone.
Sessions happen at your home and in your dog’s favourite places, at your dog’s pace, with breaks whenever they need them. Your family can be in the photos too, and I can usually come at short notice.
See how a session works and what it costs on my end of life dog photography in Sydney page, or read Suzanne and Sox’s story. If your dog is still well, have a look at my dog photography sessions.
