Shoot a pet series

Use your pet pictures to tell a story

Photographs taken in sequence can tell a story far better than mere words.

If you have an unusual pet that follows a bizarre ritual, occasionally goes a bit wild and crazy, or otherwise does something out of the ordinary that would make an interesting story, by all means capture it on film or your digital camera's sensor when your pet does it again. Photograph your pet's antics as they unfold, shooting a series of pictures that reveal the unusual behavior from start to finish.

An example of unusual pet behavior is shown in the sequence of pictures in this section. The story is revealed below.

BOOTH & BUDGIE

A female bull terrier named Booth "adopted" a very young duckling that was brought into the home to help it survive. Because it was kept in a cozy bird cage at night, the tiny duckling was named Budgie.

Budgie was nursed into health, assisted by the dog's companionship and mother-like watchfulness.

Booth worried every time the duckling exercised in the bathtub, keeping a careful eye on the little fellow.

For hours, Booth would watch the duckling exercise in the water, never wavering from her self-appointed nannyship. She wanted to be sure that Budgie was all right and didn't get into trouble. Budgie often swam over to sort of say hi to Booth. "I'm still here, mom. Everything's okay."

When Budgie the duck tired of swimming and settled down to doze on a rock placed in the tub for just that purpose, Booth would also fall asleep, but with her nose just touching the duckling so she would know if anything went wrong.

A nice story, isn't it? And one that is made palpable by photographs.

People are fascinated with such stories about animals. When you capture the story in pictures, particularly a series like this, they sure make it easier to not only tell the tale, but also to confirm its reality. (They also serve to show the nature of a breed. It's hard to find a finer dog than a bull terrier.)