Nancy LeVine Captures the Beauty of Aging in Her Portraits of Senior Dogs

Award- winning photographer Nancy LeVine is a dog lover, artist and the author of the critically acclaimed, bestselling book, “Senior Dogs Across America.” A former fashion photographer who once worked with celebrities like Kate Moss and Andy McDowell, LeVine more recently spent 12 years traveling across the nation taking stunning photographs of far less glamorous but no less compelling subjects — senior dogs.

Curley, 14 years, at the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah
Credit: Nancy LeVine

A distillation of over 150 amazing photos, “Senior Dogs Across America” is a collection of 86 portraits of elderly dogs photographed in their homes, outdoors, or in sanctuaries and hospices across the United States. Once featured in a solo show at the Houston Center for Photography, the photos are both poignant and stunning — masterfully created testaments to the dignity and grace with which these senior animals face the vicissitudes of old age. There is no self-pity in their faces; no resistance; no fear of what’s to come — just a simple acceptance of life as it exists today. As LeVine says,

…without the human’s painful ability to project ahead and fear the inevitable, the dog simply wakes to each day. Though their steps might be more stiff and arduous, these dogs still moved through each day as themselves – themselves of that day and all the days before.” 

Sunshine, 14, at the Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Credit: Nancy LeVine

Despite, or perhaps because of, the white muzzles, the stiff joints, and the slowness that comes with advancing age, LeVine’s subjects seem profoundly connected to the world around them and open to whatever comes next. Even clouded by old age, their eyes emanate a sense of tranquility and peace. They are not simply waiting to die — they are fully alive from one moment to the next. 

“The dogs don’t think about yesterday,” LeVine says. “They don’t think about tomorrow. They live in the moment…so they’re not frantic about what’s going to happen to them. They really can teach us a lot…a lot!”

And, of course, she is right. There is so much we can learn from our canine companions, whose resilience in the face of life’s challenges so far exceeds our own. Sadly, they can’t speak to us. They can’t share their wisdom, or tell us how to live with advancing infirmity and not be afraid. But by looking deeply into their eyes, we can, I think, glean some insight into how we can live more fully today, and how we can face our inevitable death with a more open heart.

Gracie, 8 years old Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Credit: NancyLeVine

To see more of Nancy’s beautiful portraits of senior dogs, check out her website, Nancy LeVine Photography,  follow her on Instagram and visit her blog, Hello Out There.