Photography of Matthew's dog Billy a brown Cavoodle
In early 2025, I said goodbye to my dog Chilli after more than fifteen years together. It has been difficult to cope with and hard to adjust to a life where he isn’t around – from seeing his tail wagging first thing in the morning, going for a daily walk or simply having him around for company. Losing him has left a big hole, probably more than I had ever imagined it would.
On the positive side there is more freedom, less responsibility, and I can focus on taking care of myself a little more. Gone are the daily routines and the extra work that was involved with looking after a senior dog, but deep down I’d do anything to have him back.
While many will consider having a dog as not much more than ‘owning an animal’, for me, Chilli meant much more than that. He had lived through my marriage (and divorce), lived in multiple locations, went on lots of road trips, helped me lose over 25kgs in weight to improve my health, helped me deal with a tough period in my life when I was diagnosed with Dysthymia (which is described as being in a state of chronic depression), and was the support I needed when I decided to leave my corporate career of twenty odd years to venture out as a freelancer.
So when I decided to add dog photography as a service for other dog owners it was with Chilli in mind. Yes everyone has lots of photos of their dog, but nearly every person I speak to doesn’t really have photos with their dog (including me).
When I reached out to the local Epping Facebook Group for families interested in having photos taken with their dog to help me create a portfolio, I was contacted by Vivien and her story was quite moving. Her son Matthew has had a difficult few years dealing with severe depression, whilst negotiating adolescence and high school. The severity of his depression subsequently unmasked Autism.
What has owning a Cavoodle as an Assistance Dog meant to Matthew's life?
There were times when Vivien wondered whether he would make it, but the positive outcome is Matthew made it through and finished Year 12 and has begun his studies at University. What I could relate to was what she told me next,
“…in 2020 Matthew’s Companion Dog Billy came into our lives and changed everything, not only has his role evolved to be his Assistance Dog but he is Matthew’s best friend…”
Vivien
Vivien shared her family’s story of how getting a dog helped change her son’s life and it all started with a conversation with her uncle when she was talking about their situation.
“Have you considered getting a dog?…What do you have to lose?…Maybe a dog can connect with Matthew better than humans can.”
It was the conversation that led to a huge change in their lives, Vivien didn’t grow up with pets and was actually fearful of dogs, but as a mother she was desperate to help her son any way she could.
One of his favourite things in his life was his teddy bear, he would stroke it which helped calm and soothe him, so Vivien thought a real life animal may be able to achieve the same thing and more – turns out it would.
They found a breeder who heard about her family’s story and invited them to their farm to meet some of the dogs. A good way to see how Matthew would react to being near an animal and while it wasn’t love at first sight, thankfully, he wasn’t scared of them either.
By Christmas 2020, Billy the Cavoodle joined their family and in Vivien’s words;
“He has been a godsend – he has been great for every single member of our family.”
They were very fortunate that Billy, he came from a breeder called Waratah Puppies who specialise in raising and training dogs specifically for children facing a range of health challenges including Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, Developmental delays, Tourette’s Sydndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Anxiety and Depression.
So Billy was very easy to train and he slotted into their daily routines fairly easily. Even though Matthew still needed medication and therapy sessions, Vivien could see how Billy was helping with his mood and general happiness. Having a Companion Dog made a nearly instant impact on Matthew’s life.
It didn’t take long, but on Matthew’s good days he was taking Billy for walks, teaching him tricks and enjoying spending time with him. Billy helped create a sense of purpose and a relationship of a different kind that only comes with dog and human interaction.
Where Billy really helped was on the other days where Matthew just needed company, someone to be with him. It was this and other examples that Vivien shared with me that I could relate to with Chilli. There would be days where I didn’t need anything more than to just throw the ball for him or go for a bike ride to the park or chase each other up or down the driveway, simple things but times where our bond would be more than enough and not much else mattered.
How did having an Assistance Dog change this family's life?
The other element that makes this story even more incredible is that while Vivien and her family continued seeking support for Matthew they also discovered that he was on the Autism spectrum. As you can imagine this added another layer to the challenges Matthew faced each day.
So Billy came into Matthew’s life as a Companion Dog and as the family learnt more about what Matthew needed, Billy received more training to then become his Assistance Dog. Over time Matthew’s bond with Billy not only grew stronger but his reliance on him became even greater, although at each step of the way Billy took it in his stride.
For many Billy will have the label of being an Assistance Dog and for many people who have them in Australia they can help with lots of different situations. Although Billy is really another family member with his role helping a human progress through life. Billy goes to therapy sessions and other daily activities without any hesitation, packed with enthusiasm, having a dog by his side means Matthew has been able to leave the house more often than he ever did before. They say dogs are quite intuitive and you can tell from the way Billy behaves that he knows just how important his role in Matthew’s life is, and yes, he gets rewarded handsomely too with juicy fresh steak (go see the photos for proof).
Most people won’t be able to relate to how or why someone with depression may be feeling, thinking or even how they decide to act. Although, speaking from my own experience, I go through days when I am happy not to talk to anyone and isolate, but then will feel differently at another time seeking company. Owning a dog helped to deal with those times as well.
Vivien shared some of Matthew’s other life challenges but the best part is that now he has a choice. Having an Assistance Dog means Matthew now has the choice of taking Billy with him to places like University or other locations if and when he needs it. Billy’s unconditional love means he is more than happy to tag along and it gives Matthew a choice on how he will experience each day depending how he is feeling. It is the type of human / dog relationship that is irreplaceable and an example of how an Assistance Dog can make a huge difference to someone’s life.
To put this story into perspective this is what Vivien shared after her photography session.
“Paul, I haven’t been able to get a proper family photo since Matt was in primary school. Since Matthew’s Autism came into play 4 years ago, Matthew has pretty much declined to be in photos. When we have our extended family Christmas photos each year, he’s either missing or hiding behind Billy while putting him in front of his face.
Of the rare opportunities I’ve had to take photos of Matt, he often stares without smiling. His depression is chronic and severe, but I was surprised and delighted to actually see him smiling in many of the photos you took. I can’t explain why he would have smiled so much – perhaps deep down doing the photo session with his beloved dog made him feel truly happy and content.
It gives me hope that he will be ok.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing these wonderful pics with us. I have no doubt that through your photography of other families with their pets you are going to put many smiles on many faces.”
I’m very fortunate in my life that I have the freedom to create, and a platform via this photography business called La Lente, to not only share such great human stories but also the images I’ve captured of the people telling them.
What started out as a hobby taking photos with a film camera of sunsets as a teenager has evolved to capture images from around the world of different places and people. It has been a great conduit for me to meet other people like Vivien and her family, to aid my grieving process after Chilli passed away earlier this year.
If you read the other stories I’ve shared, you will quickly see just how much a dog can impact people’s lives, while they are with you & after they are gone.
In memory of Chilli
This photography service was created in 2025 in memory of Chilli. Chilli was a rescue dog who came from PAWS (which has now become Denise at PAWS) who spent just over fifteen years with me becoming my companion, best friend and someone I will miss dearly.
He enjoyed a great life and was a constant in my life through thick and thin, lived in many different places and even spent some time on the road experiencing van life. A Maltese Shih Tzu who looked like a teddy bear when his fur was long and a Dalmation when he was clipped short.
He is the reason that I now provide pet photography for dogs in Sydney either at your home, a local park or your chosen location. For senior pets I also offer end of life pet photography sessions as I will always regret not getting more photos taken with him and I together.
