A New Inspiration For My Photographic Adventures

As most of you know, my dog Molly was always my inspiration to get out with my camera. Having a large dog that needed plenty of exercise was the perfect excuse to get out hiking and I always took my camera along. Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to Molly in April of 2022.  My time outdoors without Molly hasn’t been the same. While I have still enjoyed hiking and paddling, I haven’t enjoyed it as much. As a result, I have looked for every unreasonable excuse not to get out and found myself only really motivated to do so under perfect weather conditions. My passion for photography dwindled as you could probably tell by my lack of blog posts.

Something was missing on my adventures. What was missing was seeing that look of happiness on Molly’s face and that constant tail wagging. Molly was my inspiration. I realized the purpose of my outings is to make a dog happy and give it the best possible life imaginable, a life filled with adventures in the outdoors whether it be on land or water, and capturing images along the way to preserve the memories of these amazing times.   

 After a year and a half without Molly, I realized I needed a dog in my life and was starting to look for a puppy. I searched a few online ads and saw lots of cute puppies of various breeds that caught my eye, but nothing really spoke to me. I knew I wanted a large dog that would enjoy the water and also be good in cold weather as Molly taught me to embrace winter and I now love it. After looking briefly and with not a lot of seriousness I stopped searching. I always believed a puppy would come into my life when the time was right just like Molly did in 2010. 

I’m excited to share a new puppy has found its way into my life just like Molly did. A few weeks ago, I saw a woman where I was camping walking a dog that looked similar to Molly with several puppies. I had to know about these puppies and was curious if any were available. Sadly, after asking lots of questions about the parents, puppies, etc., I was informed all the puppies were spoken for. 

Later that night around the campfire, while talking to a friend who also happens to work at the campground, I contemplated giving the woman my contact information in case someone backed out of a puppy. My friend thought this was a good idea; however, for reasons  I am not sure of I never gave the woman my info. 

A few days later, the woman informed my friend that a puppy had become available. He told her I was interested and she remembered meeting me earlier that week. My friend told her about Molly and all our great adventures and the wonderful life she had. As it turned out, the woman wanted me to take the puppy as she wanted it to go to a loving home where it would have the best life possible. My friend informed me of this so I went to talk to the woman. 

I met both of the puppy’s parents.  Both dogs were gentle, affectionate dogs. The dad an Alaskan Malamute/Maremma Sheepdog cross and the mom a Labradoodle. As I contemplated whether or not to bring this puppy into my life I weighed the pros and cons and looked for signs a few of which were quite evident. This dog was coming to me by chance just like Molly did and she gave me the best 12 years of my life. Second, the puppy was named Hulk. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the TV show The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno and still idolize Lou to this day. I knew if I didn’t bring Hulk into my life I would have regrets. 

Long story short, I have a new puppy and inspiration to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.  Obviously, I kept the name Hulk. One of Hulk’s favourite things already is lying next to me while I sit and watch the birds at my feeder, his little head turning as the birds flit from feeder to feeder.  He and I instantly bonded! 

I feel happy again and in the short time I’ve had Hulk, I’ve enjoyed walking outdoors with him in all weather conditions.  I’m so excited to have a new best friend and new inspiration to get out every chance I can with Hulk and my camera. With more adventures with Hulk, I hope to blog more and share the stories and images of the wildlife we come across. Hulk is already so smart, well-behaved, and a kind, loving soul I’m looking forward to a lifetime of adventures with him. 

Buckle up little man, you’re in for a wild ride! 

Good birding,
Paul