Late on a Thursday in May as I was returning from a shoot in Wisconsin, I got a call from a photo editor at People Magazine asking if I could drive up the next day to a farm a couple hours west of Grand forks, ND to photograph a 3 year old boy and his dog Cooper. A few weeks earlier, the boy and his dog had wandered off into the fields late in the day and didn’t come home at dinner. A massive search by the local townspeople combed the area through the night with temps dropping into the low 30's. At around 2am one of the searchers noticed something in the tall grass on top of a hill. As he approached, he could see the dog but it wouldn’t move. The dog was lying on top of the boy, keeping him warm and likely saved his life. I photographed both of them at the spot where they were found. I’m thinking Copper will be eating steak every night for the rest of his days.
Photographer: Jim Henderson
Photo Assistant: Duane Lage
Client: People Magazine
