"Indomitable Spirit" by Dennis Couvillion

I hope Dennis doesn't mind me doing this, but I was just looking

through his "Best 10" (thanks to Asher's work in compiling the

list), and I came upon this photograph. For anyone who hasn't

viewed it, it's really worth a look:<p>

 

<center><b><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?

photo_id=1498159">"Indomitable Spirit"</a></b></center><p>

 

If there are misspellings in my post, it is because I had to take

off my glasses and rub the tears out of my eyes after absorbing this

beautiful photograph for the last twenty minutes or so. I just

thought it was worth a thread of its own here.

In a word, "Yep."

In a way, Dennis's picture reminded me of this Louis Faurer image from my collection. The sign in the lower left says, "God, man, nature or yourself helps those who help themselves."<div></div>

I was going to say "what an unfortunate dog". However, I think this dog is much more fortunate than may of his four-legged friends. This shows me that someone really cares for his best friend.

 

Tony

And, naturally, this photo is NOT this week's POW.

I wonder if that's a rat terrier, I believe they were really popular back then. I have one and she's a great dog from Nebraska. Quite the popular farm dogs.

I hate to expand Dennis's head any further (I hear he's had to have all the doors in his house widened) but that really is a very effective shot.

 

And as someone else said, it shows that someone really cares for the woofer.

Regarding what Tony said above, that's precisely what happened to me. My first reaction was, "Wow, poor dog." When I looked deeper I noticed the details and workmanship of the helpful contraption, and then it was all over for me. I'm not sure what other photographs I've seen that are as evocative.

I've seen a dog with a contraption like this before. But, it took seeing this picture now

to lead me to the question: how is 'business' conducted?

 

So, not only the construction of the gimmick shows caring, but knowing what the

owner must have to do to facilitate the poor pooch's daily functions.... Yah, that's

devotion.

There is actually a company in my area that makes these type of things for injured animals.

I just got in and saw this thread... Thank you, Tony, and everyone else for the nice comments. (Yea, even Harvey.) ;>)

 

By conincidence, I just took this negative to the lab yesterday to have a print made. As I was looking at the roll of negatives I remembered how moved I was by this dog. This was actually the last shot of about six that I took of him on a very busy sidewalk in New York. The first five shots are all in profile until, finally, the dog moved his head slightly to the side and gazed into the distance with that noble look.

 

Thanks again. I really do appreciate it.

 

Dennis

Great photo. I also thought the same, given the injury to the animal. What I see is suffering. The owner definitatly has committment, but at what cost? FWIW, I LOVE dogs, but I hate to see them suffer.

The contraption's existence is not really novel, but the picture is certainly great. The posture of the dog, the look on his face, the light, etc. all work really well.

 

I've seen a number of animals on these contraptions. I recently saw a dog actually running and fetching sticks on one; he was having a lot of fun and the thing was just zooming around.

 

There was a series of books written for boys in the early part of the century in which the protagonist is a dog with wheels for hind legs who lives on a battleship. His name is "Scuttlebutt" and the story goes that the brave mascot was wounded in a battle and the sailors fixed him up with one of these wheeled things. The books are always called "Scuttlebutt (something)" like, "Scuttlebutt Goes to War" etc. Just a little trivia for y'all.