Bear

–Although this image was captured in 2001, our beloved pet named Bear still has a strong presence in our lives. He passed away three years after this photo barely a month before his fifteenth birthday. He lived a long and fulfilling life, needless to say, He even went on our usual walk the night before his passing. He loved his backyard and also had a soft spot for the front yard, where these photos were captured. I guess it was because the front yard was elevated from the street level and gave him a commanding view of the entire block.

Are you familiar with his breed? It is called Chow Chow, but most people refer to them as Chows. Originally from China, they were bred as working dogs. They were also used for hunting, pulling carts, and guarding property. I don’t know about carts, but Bear was a good hunter and guardian dog. He was very territorial regarding his backyard. Although Chows also may have cream or red fur, Bear was black. As with all purebred Chows, his tongue was blue. Chow Chows are known for their independent and stubborn personality. They can be difficult to train, but they are also very loyal and affectionate dogs. They are not friendly dogs as other breeds, and they prefer to be attached only to one or two owners. The average lifespan of a Chow Chow is 8-12 years. So, in Bear’s case, nearly 15 years was a very good and long life.

Since these images were really old and contained many imperfections (such as overblown highlights), I had to use AI software to upscale them and fix some other problem issues. My workflow for these images included Topaz Photo AI, Luminar Neo, Photoshop (including the beta version), and Lightroom.

This post is my entry to Denzil Nature‘s call for his Nature Photo Challenge #20: Black. I had considered several other examples of black in nature, but in the end, Bear was the right choice.