Duncan filled photograph after photograph as Shauna McCoy edited the images left behind after his death. But amid the thousands of pictures of her dog, the Knoxville photographer recognized a painful blank: she was rarely beside him in the frame.
I have thousands of pictures of him, but not very many of me with him, McCoy said.
Duncan died in May, though the year was not specified. McCoy’s regret over those missing shared portraits became the foundation for The Other Half: Love Lives At Our Feet, a photography project centered on dogs and the people who love them.
The premise is simple, but pointed. McCoy photographs owners with their dogs during sessions held on most Sundays, capturing a mixture of candid and posed moments. Participation is free, and each owner receives one waist-down portrait with their dog. Additional photographs are available for purchase at a special project rate.
That unusual framing keeps the focus close to where daily life with a dog often happens: a leash held at hip level, a dog leaning against a familiar leg, a hand settling near a waiting head. It also answers the absence McCoy discovered in her own collection. A person can document a dog’s entire life and still remain outside nearly every image.
A portrait that includes the relationship
By the point McCoy had photographed about 70 dogs, she was working toward a larger goal of 365 images. She hopes to gather them into a photo book spanning a year, although she has not set a deadline for completing or publishing it.
The project has also given McCoy room to remember Duncan. She described the work as a way to move through her grief, maintain a sense of connection and speak about the dog who inspired it. That is personal testimony, not a promise that photography will ease loss in the same way for everyone.
Still, making tangible records can be one way of honoring a relationship. The RSPCA’s pet-bereavement toolkit recognizes the significance of pet loss and offers guidance for remembering the bond people shared with their animals. Best Friends Animal Society also presents journaling, photographs, sketches, memorials and reflections on shared traditions among its ideas for remembering a pet.
McCoy’s work offers an earlier, practical lesson too: owners do not have to wait until a dog is gone to preserve evidence of their life together. A professional portrait is one option, but the central choice is smaller hand the camera to someone else, set a timer or ask a friend to take a picture that includes both ends of the leash.
A dog’s comfort should guide how that photograph is made. Fear Free Happy Homes advises giving dogs time to warm up and explore, remaining patient about poses, and letting them take breaks for water, play or sniffing. Owners should speak up when their dog needs space, and photographers should work at the animal’s pace rather than force a particular setup.
Those principles leave room for imperfect but honest pictures. A dog may prefer to stay close to an owner instead of holding a pose, and that closeness can become the portrait. The goal need not be rigid stillness or flawless eye contact; it can simply be a visible record that the person and dog occupied the same moment together.
McCoy has not treated 365 as a finish line she must reach quickly. If nobody else is in a hurry, I’m not, she said. It’s been so special to me and I don’t see myself wanting to stop anytime soon.
So the work continues at its own pace: one dog, one person and one shared frame at a time. Duncan is absent from those Sunday portraits, but the space he left is prompting other owners to step into view while they still can.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
