May 21, 2008—At every trial, Virgil takes thousands of pictures of dogs and handlers together. And then I sit with dozens of people who review their photos. One thing that I hear over and over from people is “Can you cut me out? I hate pictures of myself.”

I often laugh and answer, “Gee, your dog would say you belong in the picture. You’re part of the memory.” And it ends there.

Or does it?

I have some thoughts on this topic. I’ve always hated pictures of myself. After all, I’ve been fat for years. Before that, I hated my birthmark or my droopy eyelid or anything else I could think of.

Here are some ideas. If something resonates for you, please email me.

- With the “I hate my pictures” refrain, I often hear a ring of pride in the person’s voice (usually a woman, by the way). Why are we so proud of hating our own pictures? There’s no glory in any form of self-hatred.

- Everyone can find ways to be self-critical. The size 10 women complain about their butts. People with great character in their faces complain about their wrinkles.

   An overweight friend of mine has a good perspective about wearing a bathing suit. She says why not wear one? It’s not like people will say—or think, “Oh gosh, you’re fat! I always thought you were skinny.” That’s a good point. We all know and accept how other people look. It’s time we extended the same courtesy to ourselves.

- I hear “I hate my pictures” even from cute, 13-year-old girls. Every time you say that, you may be teaching self-hatred to a young person—maybe someone you care about. What a tragedy.

- As I’ve gotten older, I confess that I’ve thought back and wondered, “What did my hair look like then?” or “How was my face different?” Because I too have studiously avoided pictures, I have very few of them to fill out my memories. Nor will others in my family be able to look back at pictures of me. That’s a loss, and it makes me feel like I’ve been selfish and short-sighted.

So this week’s front page celebrates people who—bravely, wisely, or even resignedly—chose to buy pictures of themselves with their dogs. If you’re one of those people, good for you! I’m proud to know you!

And what about a shot of me? Well, I’ll lead off with one of Virgil and me. (I never thought I’d publish my own picture, believe me. But here goes!)

The agility shots are from the recent Wild Weavers/Bearded Collie AKC agility trial and the Boxer National Specialty AKC agility trial.

Click here to read part 2 of this article.