Suki's Last Day // Journey to the Rainbow Bridge

Today Suki crossed the rainbow bridge, but her story is so much greater than her last day.

Suki was a hurricane Irma rescue who was found under a trailer with 9 cats in Ocala. Suki was paralyzed prior to the storm and by some miracle she managed to survive the powerful Category 5 hurricane. Shortly after the hurricane, Suki’s life would drastically change because she hit the jackpot of all jackpots when Maggie and her husband decided to rescue her. They spent over 6 months fighting the infections in her legs and nursing Suki back to health. Even though she’s paralyzed from the hips down you would never know because boy, she could move! Raising an animal with any type of paralysis comes with a long list of challenges, including no bowel control, but that never deterred the Smiths. They, along with her puppy brother Raleigh, gave Suki the greatest life any dog could dream of.

Unfortunately, necrosis set into Suki’s back legs and the only option was amputation which would dramatically diminish her quality of life. Making the hardest decision anyone could be faced with, Suki’s parents decided to end her life on a high note since she had already been through so much.

The Smiths decided to throw Suki the best last day ever! First stop was the 7-Eleven on Davis Island which was Suki’s favorite place in the world. When Suki walked in the door, she was greeted by all of her best doggie friends and humans that showered her with treats and love. The gas station was truly never cuter than it was on that Sunday afternoon. Next stop was the dog beach at Picnic Island where her parents had set up a dog party complete with her doggy friends, food, and cake! Suki swam, ran up and down the beach, played with her friends, and was living her best life. As the sun fell below the skyline, everyone gathered and said their goodbyes.

This morning Suki crossed the rainbow bridge and her parents and fur-brother gained a new guardian angel. It’s hard to know what to say in times like this, but I’m confident that these pictures say everything left unsaid. What makes my job worthwhile are capturing moments like this; moments that will soon just be memories with the hope that the photographs taken will provide a sense of comfort when looked back upon them. It’s moments like these that I know I chose the right career path. This was personally one of the hardest sessions I’ve captured but it was also one of the most fulfilling ones too. Rest easy sweet Suki, you will be missed but your memory will live on forever. ❤️?