09/04/2026
This is in memory of Alvin, a dog who was an important part of my life as a dog walker. He was always around, 5 days per week for the last decade. He was never really obedient but he was with us. Recall only existed when he wanted to respond, but I never worried about Alvin not coming back... Well ok, maybe once. It was in Brockwell Park, on one of our very first walks together, we were coming back to the van when I decided to let him run a bit more. Unfortunately, as soon as the lead was off, he bolted across the field, through the side gate and dissapeared in the nearby estate. It was a very stressful 10 or 15 mins, after which Alvin just appeared from behind the bins, like nothing happened.
Almost every day, Alvin would have his few laps around the field, pure joy, speed and strength. I never tired of watching him run.
I take many staged photos where dogs are standing, sitting, lying down, but there was this thing about Alvin, that he would never sit down on command. Because of this, I sometimes had to remove it from the frame because it was messing up the setup 🙂. During the 10 years together, I saw him sitting only a few times, but luckily I managed to capture it in a few photos.
Alvin passed away yesterday. He lived a good, long life. If there are squirrels in dog heaven, I hope you catch them all, Alv.
