Adopted dogs’ unconditional love heals owners’ trauma

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This article was published 14/04/2022 (1619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Without Marcy, Lucas would not have survived the last two years.

“Some days I stayed alive and kept going only for her,” says the trans man whose mental health hit a new low during the pandemic.

Nassau made it easier for Diana and Amie to come out to their parents.

“As two queer women of colour, we experience so much invalidation from society,” Amie says.

“Nassau is the only thing in our life that carries absolutely zero judgment.”

These are just two of the stories featured in Don’t You Want Me, a photo narrative project about the lives of LGBTTQ+ people and their rescue dogs. The exhibit, created by photographers Jack Jackson and Deb Klein, is on a cross-country pet store tour that lands in Winnipeg from April 14 to 21 at the Pet Valu on Taylor Avenue.

Jackson is a self-taught photographer who honed his skills taking portraits of dog-walking clients in Toronto. Don’t You Want Me was inspired by his own experiences adopting a dog.

“I was in a really dreadful situation,” says Jackson, who grew up in Guernsey, a small island community in the English Channel, and moved to Canada in 2012.

Unable to work and reeling from a transphobic encounter, he struggled with daily life. That is, until Jet arrived. The bouncy boxer puppy, adopted through an online classified ad, changed everything.

“These animals who don’t have a home or, for whatever reason, aren’t wanted can have such an impact on someone’s life,” Jackson says. “I think it just goes to show that we need the same things as everyone else who’s doing OK in life — someone to care for, someone to get out of bed for, someone to have fun with.”

While the Don’t You Want Me stories are difficult — discrimination, trauma, addiction and suicidal ideation are common themes — the photos offer a glimpse at the power of unconditional love. Pets and their owners jumping for joy, tender moments cuddling on the couch and smiles that light up the frame.

“Most of these people have had it so much worse than me,” Jackson says. “And they’ve gotten through it, largely, because a dog came into their life.”

The photo project existed mostly online until an opportunity arose to partner with Pet Valu. Being able to get the exhibit into pet stores across the country has helped Jackson connect with a mainstream audience of animal lovers.

The project, which is meant to be a celebration of the trans and queer community, has elicited a range of emotions from viewers.

“People are connecting with it,” Jackson says, adding that the isolation of the pandemic has created an opportunity to talk about the isolation and otherness that LGBTTQ+ people experience every day while navigating heteronormative society.

“I’d love for the mainstream to see that queer and trans people are totally happy being who they are; it’s simply discrimination that can cause them to face far more issues than their straight, cisgender counterparts,” he says.

Jackson will be on hand for a meet-and-greet at Pet Valu, 1134 Taylor Ave., on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. He is also looking for Winnipeg subjects to share their stories and take part in an outdoor photoshoot while the exhibit is in town.

Visit dontyouwantme.com to learn more about the project and to apply to take part.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney