Inside the feel-good pet photography project celebrating Canberra’s golden oldies
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A local pet photographer is celebrating Canberra’s senior dogs with a special – and wholesome – coffee table book project.
Golden Oldies: Senior Dogs of Canberra by Alistair Nitz of Moist Nose Pet Photography will highlight the untold stories of the old souls that have stood by our sides for decades. Promising to be a curated collection of Canberra’s senior dogs, the coffee table book project was born out of his desire to create something that honours a decade or more of loyalty.
Alistair has been photographing Canberra’s pets since 2021, working with many of Canberra’s golden oldies. He believes that there are hundreds of stories out there worth telling.
“To me, that’s what this project is really about. Honouring the depth of the human-animal bond, and the reminder that the true measure of a relationship isn’t its length. It’s its depth, and the mutual joy it brings,” he explains.
“Each dog comes with a story, why they matter, what they mean to their family, and a book lets readers actually sit with those stories rather than scroll past them.”
Calling for nominations for old dogs, Alistair will be selecting and photographing a curated collection of pets and their owners. He hopes to create a collection that reflects the variety of Canberra’s senior dog community – including a mix of breeds and neighbourhoods – and says that the project isn’t about finding the most photogenic dog, but rather the most noteworthy stories.
“It might be a dog with a quirky, funny personality who makes people smile. It might be a rescue journey, or a dog who’s beaten sickness or disability against the odds. It might be a therapy dog or a search and rescue dog who’s spent years quietly serving the community as well as their family. And it will always, in some way, come back to that strong, unmistakable love between a dog and their owner,” he explains.
“In the end, the dogs who make it into Golden Oldies won’t just be the ones with the best photos. They’ll be the ones whose stories, together, tell the fullest picture of what it means to share your life with a senior dog in Canberra, and hopefully help a few more dogs find that same kind of home along the way.”
He also wants the project to give something back to the community.
The project is free to enter, and if your dog is selected for Golden Oldies, the photo session will be completely complimentary, with the addition of a $200 print credit to use towards wall art or prints from the photo shoot.
Alistair will also be encouraging everyone involved to consider donating to Canberra Pet Rescue, with any profits he makes from selling the book going directly to the charity to support the work that they do.
Alistair Nitz of Moist Nose Pet Photography
Drawing inspiration from Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, he says that the project will be a genuine celebration of the bond people share with their four-legged friends.
“I see dogs as a true extension of the family. They’re there when we bring children home for the first time. They witness breakups, divorce, death, all of it. They’re there to help us celebrate, and they’re there to help us grieve. Through all of it, they just stay, steady and loyal, whatever’s happening in the house around them.”
“That’s exactly why these stories are worth telling. A senior dog hasn’t just been present for a decade or more of someone’s life. They’ve been part of the family through all of it, the hard years and the good ones. That deserves to be documented properly, not left as a handful of blurry phone photos nobody can quite find when they go looking.”
With nominations now open, the way the process works is simple.
If your dog is selected, their photos will become part of the Golden Oldies book, which will be available to purchase separately once published.
Any Canberra dog qualifies – as long as they’re seven or older for larger breeds, or 10 or older for smaller ones. If you’re located in Queanbeyan or Murrumbateman, you can still take part – as long as your dog has spent time in Canberra. The only requirement Alistair has is that the actual photographs are taken in Canberra.
Ultimately, he wants Golden Oldies to be a legacy to remember senior dogs, and to show the eternal love we have for our companions.
“I’m not looking for the most polished dog or the most flattering angle. I’m looking for genuine, heartfelt stories. That’s what this book is actually about,” he says.
“I hope every dog involved gets a session that properly honours them. On a bigger scale, I’d love the book to shift how people think about senior pets generally, so that getting older doesn’t mean getting overlooked, for dogs or for the people who love them. “
To nominate your four-legged friend, visit head to moistnosepetphotography.com.
A tip to stand out from the crowd? Tell Alistair something quirky about your dog; he’ll go barking mad for it.
