GORIUDA WATERFALL 46°23’37.2”N 13°26’03.1”E
He wandered along the walls, hiding in the shadows. He walked to the bus station and watched the city come to life when he saw a woman on the other side of the street. Unlike most humans, she met his eyes for a glance and didn’t shoo him away; instead, she changed her direction and walked toward him. As she approached him, he raised himself to run back into the safety of the shadows. She didn’t come toward him alone; two dogs were in her company. Bear was terrified. Bear felt his back pressed into the corner of the street, as the woman knelt down on her knees while watching him. There was something in her eyes Bear couldn’t read. The two dogs who followed her sat behind her, also looking at him with interest, but no fear or aggression. Bear watched the woman lif her hand to greet him, but as his survival mode kicked in, he growled toward her in fear of what was coming next. She stopped in the moment and just put the food she had in her hand down in front of him, an offering. No one moved. The energies shifted from fear to curiosity. After a while, when he began to feel a bit more safe, she lifted her camera and took a photo of Bear. The sound made him tilt his head to the side, his left ear flopping over his head. She smiled softly and took a few more pictures of him. Her voice was calming, and she seemed to enjoy taking pictures of him. He felt a rush of excitement when he sniffed the camera and let the other two dogs come closer. She called them Finn and Yuri, and Bear felt for the first time in his life that he belonged to something. Her bond with her dogs, Finn and Yuri, spoke volumes to Bear. He saw how they looked at her with adoration and trust, their tails wagging with happiness whenever she was near. It was a sight Bear had never experienced, but it stirred something profound within him—a wish for belonging, a place to call home, and a human companion who would see him not as a threat but as a friend. It began with a fleeting moment captured through the lens of a camera—an image that held the essence of Bear, a gentle soul who found himself alone on a street corner. Little did he know that this photograph would become his ticket to a new life. Through the lens, she saw not just a stray but a potential companion. Drawn to his soulful eyes and awakening spirit, she returned to the same street corner to meet Bear again. Bear found himself wagging his tail waiting for her, but the woman and her dogs didn’t come. Bear layed down, his head between his front paws, waiting. A few days passed and he didn’t move from his spot. The sadness overcame him, as if it all was just a dream, when he noticed a familiar smell. Yuri and Finn came running toward him, and this time she followed them with a new human. Her name was Alex, and she felt like home the moment Bear laid eyes on her. Alex adopted Bear. She saw the images the woman posted online and contacted her. She renamed Bear to Hero and brought him back to her hometown in England. So many lost souls wander the streets longing for a human companion; one image captured Bear’s spirit and changed his life. One photographer, one photo, one Hero. Each photo tells a story; it can be the beginning of a new one or the end of an old one. Stories are here to connect us, and Anne captures not just the spirit of each dog but the story behind their eyes. We might think that dogs need us humans, but the reality is that we need them just as much, as we have for thousands of years. They teach us that our past doesn’t have to define us. They teach us to greet each day with a wagging tail and relish the glory of nature, as only best friends can.
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MOTHER VOLUME THREE
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