Rainbow Tribute Sessions and Honoring the Dog Who Changed Your Life
A Columbus Dog Photographer's Guide to Celebrating Your Dog's Legacy, Navigating Loss, and Finding Your Way Through
There is a moment every dog parent knows is coming but is never ready for.
The gray on their muzzle gets a little more noticeable. The walks get a little shorter. The naps get a little longer. And somewhere in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday, it hits you. This is not going to last forever.
I have been a dog photographer in Columbus, Ohio for over fifteen years, and the work that means the most to me is the work I do with dogs in their final chapter. Not because it is easy. It is the opposite of easy. But because I know from my own experience that the images you have of your dog at the end become the ones you hold onto the hardest.
This post is about honoring that. What a rainbow tribute session looks like, how to preserve the details before they fade, and the resources that helped me when I was the one sitting on the floor wondering how I was supposed to keep going.
What Is a Rainbow Tribute Session?
A rainbow tribute session is a portrait session designed to celebrate your dog's life while they are still here. It is not about sadness. It is about showing up for your dog in a meaningful way during a time when everything feels heavy.
These sessions are slower. Quieter. Built entirely around your dog's comfort and energy. If they want to lie in the grass and watch the world go by, we photograph that. If they want to lean into you and just be close, we photograph that. If they have a favorite park, a favorite blanket, a favorite spot in the yard where the sun hits just right, that is where we go.
The goal is not perfection. It is presence. Your dog, exactly as they are right now, preserved in a way your phone camera cannot do justice to.
These sessions are available across Columbus, Dublin, Powell, Worthington and Central Ohio. We can meet at a park, a trail, or your own backyard. Wherever your dog feels the most at home.
Why These Portraits Matter More Than You Think
I know this because I lived it.
When I lost my dog Tango nineteen years ago, I had very few beautiful portraits of him and those were taken at the end of his life, when he was not well. I had a thousands of blurry photos and a lot of memories that I was terrified of forgetting. His face. The way he looked at me. The specific weight of his head on my lap.
That loss is the reason Simply Dog Photography exists. I never want another dog parent to feel what I felt, reaching for images that were not there.
The portraits from a rainbow tribute session become something different after your dog is gone. They stop being photos and start being anchors. Something you can hold onto when the grief gets loud.
Just a Few Of The Dogs I Have Had the Honor of Photographing
I have been honored to photograph so many dogs in their last chapters over the years. So many people ask if these sessions are sad. These sessions are spent celebrating their life and honoring pet owners best memories that they want to hold on to forever. I can't imagine a better gift.Â
Just a few of the dogs I've photographed.Â
- Gia, the gorgeous black curly coated water dog and her mom Kara. Although the day was so gray, we had the most beautiful session together at Schiller Park. I don't normally photograph in this location but this was their location and it was special to them.Â
- Jenner, the adorable golden who I had the pleasure of photographing on multiple occasions. This was a beautiful day capturing everything they loved about him!
- Kobe and his sweet sister photographed in German Village and areas of downtown Columbus on the coldest windiest day, but to his family, it was everything.Â
- Ryder, the gorgeous black lab girl that had no complaints starting her session at Graeter's and spending the prettiest day with her parents in Dublin.Â
I am always grateful and honored when clients choose me to capture this time for them with the pets that mean the entire world.Â
Preserving the Details Before They Fade
This is something I wish someone had told me years ago, and it is the first thing I tell every client who is facing the loss of their dog.
Write your dog a letter.
Not a social media post. Not a text to a friend. A real, handwritten letter. Pour a glass of wine, sit down with no distractions, and write your heart out. Tell them what they meant to you. Tell them about the first day you brought them home. Tell them about the things they did that drove you crazy and the things they did that made your whole world make sense.
You do not need to be a writer. You just need to be honest.
Then write down the small things.
The way they sighed when they settled into their bed. The sound of their nails on the kitchen floor. The specific spot on their ear they liked scratched. The face they made when they heard the treat bag. The way they greeted you at the door like you had been gone for years even when it had been ten minutes.
Our memories fade. It is one of the cruelest parts of loss. The big things stay, but the small, specific, beautiful details start to soften over time. Writing them down means you will always have them.
Put your letter and your list on something beautiful. Keep it with their mementos, tucked into their album, behind their portrait on the wall, wherever feels right. Mine is tucked into their albums. I know at any given time I can sit with it and remember. I would not have that option if I had not written down the small things.
Resources That Helped Me (and Might Help You)
Losing a dog is different from other losses, and most people do not understand how deep that connection goes or how long it takes to find your way through it. There is no timeline. There is no "right" way. But there are resources that can meet you where you are.
The Pet Loss Companion Podcast
Hosted by Nancy Saxton-Lopez and Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, two therapists who now focus specifically on pet loss and grief. There was such a need for this, and I love how comforting they are. Hearing other people's stories that are so relatable makes you feel less alone in something that can feel incredibly isolating.
Saying Goodbye to the Pet You Love (Book)
This is not just a book you read. It is interactive, a put-pen-to-paper guide that helps you work through your thoughts and emotions at your own pace. I found this incredibly helpful because it gave me something to do with the feelings that felt too big to just sit with. I've included a link here → https://www.amazon.com/Saying-Good-Bye-Pet-You-Love/dp/1572243074
Meet with a Pet Loss Specific Grief Counselor
Do not be ashamed to consider this. I saw a therapist for each dog I lost, and it made a real difference.
Tango was my first loss. I was given a few weeks after his diagnosis, and the guilt was tremendous. A grief counselor helped me work through thoughts I could not untangle on my own.
TJ passed unexpectedly. He got sick, I brought him to the ER, he was there 24 hours, and they called me to get there quickly. I made it in time, only to say goodbye to him on the table. That has been my hardest journey to date. I took six months off from my business. I felt like I could not move for the entire duration. I was inside out. The emotion was so heavy that I felt like I became a different person.
I share that because I want you to know that whatever you are feeling is real and it is valid. You are not overreacting. You are grieving a member of your family.
Ways to Honor Your Dog After They Are Gone
There is no right way to do this. Some of these might feel right for you and some might not. That is okay.
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Donate in their name to a local rescue or animal organization
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Plant a tree in your yard or at a place that was meaningful to them
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Create a memorial space in your backyard with a stone, a plant, or something that reminds you of them
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Write their name on a river rock and place it somewhere you will see it every day
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Display their portraits where you will see their face when you need it most
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Keep an album you can sit with whenever you want to remember
The most important thing is to give yourself grace and time. This can be a long process or a short process. For every single person it is different. The emotions and sadness are real and you have to face them and work through them. Not around them. Through them.
Grieving is not something to fix or rush past. It is a necessary process, and the people who try to skip it or stay busy enough to avoid it are the ones who carry it the longest.
If Your Dog Is in Their Final Chapter
You do not need to have everything figured out. You do not need to know when. You just need to know that there is someone in Columbus who understands what your dog means to you and who will treat this session with the care it deserves.
Rainbow tribute sessions are completely built around your dog. We go at their pace. We follow their lead. And we create something you will be grateful for every single day after they are gone.
If you have been thinking about it, this is me gently telling you: do it now. Not next month. Not when the timing feels right. Now, while they are exactly who they are today.
Claudine Kosier is the photographer behind Simply Dog Photography, a Columbus, Ohio dog photographer specializing in natural, emotional portraits for devoted dog parents. Serving Columbus, Dublin, Powell, Worthington and surrounding Central Ohio communities.
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