Few people I know have more fully embraced dog ownership and integrated their canine into their life more fitting and elegantly as Claire. Myself, pretty experienced on this topic, have seen the gamut of human-dog relationships. Some are better than others, and often these relationships confuse the dog’s nature, and oddly these situations take the shape of a human – human relationship. These sorts of human projections onto animals never seem to benefit the dog so well as the human. Claire has never made this error in her relationship with Roux, who has come to be many things while still remaining a Dog. (My only hesitation to this conviction was the first time I saw some of Roux’s portraits, until I realized the real humor of these images is that they are the same statement I make here. Dogs are dogs, no matter what shade of lipstick they wear.)
When I was asked to make an anniversary photo of sorts, I felt privileged to see their story from my vantage and wanted to make a fitting visual statement. Roux is nearly inseparable from her master, and is the lithe and stunning companion, muse, and bedfellow to Claire. In many ways, Claire has an utterly devoted four-legged shadow. One that will never be cast away, rain or shine, hell or high water.
While Claire’s love has truly given Roux a dog’s life, I suspect Roux has given more than she has received in this partnership. Claire’s active remembrance and documentation of her time with her animal has been cultivated into a meaningful and successful business. By understanding and distilling her impulse to narrate her own story, she has found a way to offer her talents to others wanting their ‘tales’ to be told. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Read about Claire’s for yourself at Rouxby.com.
