“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.”– Orhan Pamuk
Last year, I did a maternity shoot for Madhulika (a friend of mine) along with her dog, Loki.
In March/ April of 2018, they brought a beautiful baby girl into this world, Maanya. For the year before Maanya was born, Loki went through training to learn commands and instructions that he would follow when she arrived.
Trust me when I say this, Loki is the best brother!
Ofcourse, like any other pair of siblings, they have their fair share of fights, but at the end of the day, there's no love like theirs.
For her first birthday, we had the honor of capturing the relationship that she and Loki now share.
Same room, one year apart ⬇
"Loki & Maanya, I can't take those names without a broad smile on my face! It was a relationship that grew over time. Loki was surely a bit jealous in the beginning when none of the guests who came home to see Maanya, played or gave him attention. We had to make sure we gave him much more attention than before to make him feel secure.
However, they started building up a bond in their own way. They grabbed each others’ toys, food, hit & jumped over each other.
Slowly, over time they build trust in each other in a way that they can’t be separated. He is so much more calmer around Maanya, & sometimes, he behaves like the older/matured sibling.
When Maanya cries, Loki’s presence automatically calms her down. We don’t need to find innovative ways to entertain them - they both are enough for each other.
Having a four legged sibling has made Maanya understand that we may not be able to give her undivided attention all the time and she is perfectly fine with that. She will also take a “NO” relatively well as she sees that Loki doesn’t get everything he asks for. On a serious note, I don’t think Raj and I could match the pure and unconditional bond they both have for each other."
- Madhulika & Rajesh
Seems like all of the preparation and studying paid off for him!