Tara Lynn: Happy birthday, Baxter!
His face is whiter. He walks with a limp. He thankfully can’t hear the doorbell these days but knows exactly when his kibble tumbles into the metal bowl in the kitchen.
My boy is 14 years old as of June 17th. Fourteen! All but the first three months of his life, he has been by our side.
We adopted Baxter in 2008. He was with a family who had seven kids. They moved from their rental and left him in the backyard. The landlord found him howling with an injured paw and nervous spirit. Baxter ended up at an animal rescue the next day.
I still remember my husband emailing me Baxter’s photo and profile, wondering if I also thought this cream-colored Beagle-mix could be “the one.” With little more than a few emails and a phone call with the shelter, we drove two and a half hours to meet him.
Baxter trembled as the volunteer placed him in Brandon’s arms. It took a soft voice and gentle strokes to show this little puppy he was now in safe hands. About 30 minutes later, Baxter was officially ours.
Baxter was technically Brandon’s dog. I was working in South Carolina as a news anchor for the NBC affiliate. Brandon was in Chapel Hill for his last year of law school and then moved to Washington D.C. Baxter adored Brandon. They went to the dog park, took evening walks and Baxter spent his days at the office with Brandon too.
Around Baxter’s second birthday, his loyalties shifted. He suddenly started growling at other dogs if they got close to me at the dog park. He followed me around the apartment and whined at the door when I left. These days, I can’t leave a room without Baxter trailing two steps behind.
At age 14, his walks are shorter. He sleeps more and is a bit calmer (thanks to a daily dose of Prozac).
But the biggest change over the last fourteen years? Me.
This frightened little puppy stole my heart. Baxter inspired me to take my love for animals and put it into action by volunteering with animal shelters and rescue groups. Baxter ignited my passion for photography and convinced me to trade in my TV news career to run my pet and family photography business full time.
Photographs have a special power. They can freeze time and tell a story. They can change a life. A single photo of an abandoned puppy changed mine forever. Now, I can give that gift to other families.
Happiest of birthdays to my little shadow.
Tara Lynn is a former WRAL reporter and anchor. She lends her 15-plus years in journalism to tell visual stories through love-filled photography for families of all kinds. The mother of three little humans and one senior rescue dog believes in celebrating magic in the little things, the big loves, and the imperfect moments that make the most remarkable memories. Her vision is to help families celebrate and share their love through photography and curated album artwork that become timeless keepsakes connecting multiple generations...because moments often pass in the blink of an eye, and the photographs we take connect us to our memories and our great loves, forever.
You can find Tara Lynn on Instagram at @TaraLynn_andCo and TaraLynnAndCo.com. Learn more about her photography at TaraLynnAndCoPhoto.com.
