What My Dog Has Taught Me About Mental Health. Sunrise Pet Portraits. Toledo Ohio.

Written by Tori Davidson.

Another winter day begins as I arouse from my slumber, cocooned in the confines of my warm, weighted blanket. I can tell it’s going to be cloudy before I even look out the window, but one eye opens tentatively to survey my surroundings. The gray of another bleak January day greets me, and my brain screams, “Just stay in bed all day!” Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) hits me hard as soon as the days grow darker and shorter, and it gets increasingly more and more difficult to have the energy to want to do anything at all.

Just then, I hear one lone scratch at the door. My husband gets up earlier than I do, so he takes the dogs out into the living room with him. He tells me that the moment I start stirring in bed, my miniature aussie, Kismet, leaps into action and stands sentinel by the bedroom door. I hear another small, but insistent scratch at the door, and just like that- I have a reason to get out of bed. Knowing that the cutest, sweetest, most adorable piece of floof is waiting for me on the other side of the door is reason enough to leave my nest and face the day.

I have a history of mostly anxiety and some depression going back as far as I can remember. Through methods such as therapy, eating healthier, meditation, and keeping in contact with my amazing and supportive friends and family- I’ve managed better and better over the years. One huge game changer, though, was getting a dog. Kismet gives me someone other than myself to take care of- someone who relies on me. She coerces me out of the house for a walk with her joyous Aussie spins and convinces me that there is never a bad time for a car ride. She cuddles with me when I’m sad, and snuggles even closer when I’m crying. I won’t go deep into the statistics surrounding how amazing having a pet his for your mental health, but a quick Google search yields the following:

• Decreased blood pressure

• Increased serotonin and dopamine

• Better cardiovascular health (from all of those walks!)

• Gives you a routine to your day

… and the list goes on.

Since I’m no professional in the mental health field, and I’m drawing on my own experience, I can tell you that the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Kismet is this: I’ve discovered over the years that I need to become more present in the current moment. Anxiety is rooted in the fear of the future and depression is rooted in the loss over what has passed. Since dogs are firmly entrenched in the present and are neither thinking of the past or future, I both envy and seek to imitate Kismet’s ability to live in this very moment. Time is precious, and she doesn’t spend her days wishing for what she had or worrying over what is to come. She just looks at everything with fresh eyes and wonder- completely joyful for every meal, every cuddle, every puzzle, every walk… everything. My dog is the “person” that I most seek to emulate.

Speaking of current moments being so precious, both my husband and I both find it extremely important to capture these moments with our pets through photography. We’ve had four photo sessions with our dogs, and our house is covered with photographic memories of ourselves and our “fur kids.” These precious souls have brought both of us so much unbridled joy and happiness that we couldn’t think of a better subject to have looking at us from our walls every day- the dogs that walked with us through the hardest times and were a light when it was otherwise too dim to see.

toledo photography — Tori & Kismet

Tori lives in Toledo with her husband, Andrew, and their two dogs (Rufus and Kismet), cat (Milo), and two leopard geckos (Stacy and Faust). She loves backpacking, traveling, music, and spending time with friends and family. She runs a small business called Kismet Canine Creations which specializes in 3D printed dog gear, dog apparel, and pet leash sleeves.

Find Tori and Kismet in their Etsy Shop, Instagram and on Facebook!

All photos were taken at Wildwood Metropark.

REBECCA TRUMBULL IS A FAMILY AND PET PHOTOGRAPHER LOCATED IN TOLEDO, OHIO. SHE HAPPILY SERVES TOLEDO, OHIO AND ALL OF NORTHWEST OHIO WITH HER PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORK.

Find her work on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest