Woman takes heartfelt photos with her dog and best friend hours before it is put down
Maria Sharp, 23, is a photographer based out of Cleveland. For the past 16 years, Maria's best friend has been Chubby, an adorable dog she and her family had since she was seven years old.
"Whenever we had guests over, I would barely say hi before saying, 'Do you want to see my dog?!' She was my favorite part of myself," Sharp says in a blog post.
Chubby's health began to deteriorate a few years ago, where she suffered from cognitive dysfunction. When Chubby's condition didn't improve, Sharp made the difficult but necessary decision to put Chubby down. "I knew she wasn't comfortable and her time was coming soon - way sooner than I had anticipated."
But Sharp was able to chronicle her last touching moments with Chubby. Working with fellow photographer and friend Suzanne Price, Sharp captured beautiful images of her and Chubby's final moments together, embracing in a field. The pictures have received incredible feedback on social media, especially from pet owners who have gone through similar struggles.
"I think I'll miss her cuddles the most. And getting to come home and pick her up or sneak a peek at her while she's sleeping. Just knowing that she's around makes me so much calmer," Sharp says.
A few hours after the photos were taken, Chubby passed away. However, Sharp's well documented memories with Chubby will help her through the grieving process.
"I'll have my sixteen years of memories and all of my pictures of my extremely well documented dog to remember her and how she helped me be the person I am today."
"It's still hard to accept that she's actually gone. I find myself looking around the house for her. Peaking in the bathroom since I didn't see her in the living room sleeping. I think that's going to be the biggest adjustment, actually believing that my best friend is gone. I'll miss you Chubby Bunny..."
Check out the gallery above to see the touching images from the photoshoot, and of Sharp and Chubby growing up. You can learn more about Sharp and Chubby's story at the links below.
