In memory of Simka.....

Back in May, I was asked by Matt if I could take some picture's of his mum's dog, Saffra.  He wanted to surprise her with some images for her birthday later in the year.  We agreed to meet on Perranporth beach one Sunday morning in early May.  He had said that he would be bringing his own dog, Simka with him too as the dogs, of similar age, really enjoyed each others company.  However, Simka didn't make it because of a trip to the vets the day before and was feeling a bit under the weather.

Saffra, however, was delighted to be on the beach but had eyes only for Matt; I was just an irrelevance on the periphery of her world and she paid me scant attention.  As we got her to 'pose' (as much as you can with anything feline/canine/porcine et al), I suggested that Matt might like to come behind the camera so it would appear as if Saffra was looking at me.  No, she wasn't having that!  As soon as Matt got a couple of metres away, so she moved closer to him!  We had to devise other ways of capturing her!!  

We had a really good morning on the beach and over coffee in the Blue Bar, Matt said that he would like some images of Simka.  We arranged the shoot for a couple of weeks time, when I could show him the images of Saffra afterwards.

Fast forward two weeks, to Stithians Lake where the weather was a little unkind: Cornish drizzle persistently falling and a strong wind.  Not that it bothered the two dogs!!  Saffra and Simka were out of the car like a flash and heading off round the lake and into the water.  However, the news wasn't good: Simka had been to the vets and it was discovered that she had cancer and had only a few months left.  It made the photo shoot just a little more poignant.

If you look carefully, you can see the little bald patch on Simka's leg where she had to have her anaesthetic.

Matt viewed the images of Saffra on the laptop whilst sitting in the back of my VW van...a first for me!  I delivered the images 10 days later and Simka seemed happy and well under medication.  She had put on weight because of the steroids and was eating like a horse.  (Matt's mum was thrilled by the images he'd chosen for her which were presented as a box frame.)

However, Matt knew that she only had, at best a few more weeks.  I received a text today to say that they lost her yesterday.  So this Blog entry is  for Simka, a lovely dog who will be sadly missed....