Last Moments - an exploration of the human-animal bond

What is it about?

This documentary project, called “Last Moments,” focuses on the human-animal bond - specifically, the last moments before, and after, the passing of a pet at home with their owner. The images are an intimate journey into the lives of people and their beloved pets in their final minutes together. Friends in social media feeds post memorials of their beloved pets weekly, often in the most heart-wrenching of tributes. It’s a somber, and beautiful, testimony to the bond, and the pain that comes when it’s broken. And yet, it’s a moment that is rarely documented.

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Why is it important?

Over the past year, the work has been in conjunction with an organization called Lap of Love, which is based out of Tampa. It is the largest at-home pet euthanasia organization in the nation. Each month, more than 300 people use their services in the Tampa area alone. It’s part of an emerging trend (to have end of life care in the home, instead of in a clinic). Nationally, scores of pet owners go through this painful experience each year. The goal of this project is to produce both a photographic body of work that will help build connections to this experience, especially since it’s so rarely seen in media. Additionally, a cornerstone idea of the work is this - people going through traumatic experiences want to know they’re not alone. The power of visual documentary can support this and build a broader community through its existence.

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