The idea of owning someone or something creates a sense of power or an imbalance in authority from one party to another. When one thinks of a dog-owner relationship, the power is normally delegated to the human due to the hierarchy ranking of humans in the world. Upon first thought, I wanted to create something related to the human-dominated relationship of dogs and their owners as I have a dog and it is a relatable topic for me. Essentially, I believe I own my dog- not the other way around. Instead, I further brainstormed and decided to create a work that showcased how dogs can metaphorically own humans with their love. My work displays a dog who has a leash around their owner. Many owners feel tied to their dogs emotionally, as if their dogs have a hold on them that they can not be released from because they care so strongly about them. This is a lighthearted take on the prompt as it is less dominant and more loving.

    

Creating this work was not the easiest task. When shooting non-human subjects, it is significantly harder to control behavior. I used my dog for this photo and he is very energetic and it took many tries for him to cooperate. Once he decided he would work with me, I positioned him to be sitting and placed the leash under his paw. I put the collar part of the leash around the subject’s neck and tightened it so it would look as if it was restricting her, like an actual dog collar. I took this photo outside at a park where dogs are normally walked to create a more authentic environment.

 

This work is representative of how one can be attached to their dog, figuratively through love. However, the attachment isn’t negative and can create a sense of closeness between human and furry companion. While shooting this photo, I learned how to better shoot non-human subjects.