For the love of pets

Photographer and author, Ari Seth Cohen, released his fourth book this week, Advanced Pets. Cohen, who lives in Seattle with his husband and 4-year-old Bernadoodle, Vincent “Vinnie” von Doodle, sat down with Fetch to discuss the inspiration behind his latest work. Advanced Pets documents the unique and everlasting bond between people and their pets — and how our furry companions help us through some of life’s more trying times.

‍Fetch: Your latest book, Advanced Pets, is such a celebration of the human-animal bond. Why is that theme so important to you?

Ari Seth Cohen: Love and connection are the most important aspects of my work, and during Covid, we spent a lot more time with our pets, so I think this bond became even more important to people. And a lot of people hadn't had pets before and then they adopted animals. We spend time with these animals so intimately — they might even sleep in your bed. Pets just really enrich our lives; they really mean a lot to me.

‍Fetch: And pets have always been an important part of your life, right?

‍Ari Seth Cohen: Yes, when I got my first dog, Rusty, he gave me a reason to look forward to coming home from school and I felt less lonely. I might put on a weird outfit and run around with Rusty, and Rusty didn't say anything about that — Rusty just loved me for who I was and that continued as I got older. Just the joy and happiness that animals bring — that was instilled in me at a young age.
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Fetch: Can you tell me a little more about how animals helped your development overall?‍

Ari Seth Cohen: When I couldn't relate to other kids, I could relate to my dog and to talk to him. My dog now, Vinnie, he’s my best friend, and I look forward to coming home and seeing him. I think a lot of us deal with a lot of trauma, maybe in our young lives, and then, as we get older, we see how animals, and our relationship with them, can be very healing. 

Fetch: How did you go about capturing that special bond in your latest book?

Ari Seth Cohen: This book is about the love of animals, so I tried to get to know each animal first and then I kind of just saw what happened. My favorite part of making the book was when I could revisit someone, or I’d photographed them more than once, so I really got to, kind of, see those more quiet bonding moments. Like, between one of the women [in the book], Linda, and Buddy her cat — they were just so bonded that I didn't have to do anything. The bonds are just as deep as any family member and sometimes, especially as you get older and maybe have lost a lot of people, those bonds are even stronger, and give people a sense of purpose.

Fetch: What did you learn from doing this book?

Ari Seth Cohen: When you have a bad day and you go home and your dog jumps up onto your lap, you're bringing him or her comfort and they're bringing you comfort. It's really that exchange. It’s the same as when you call a friend on the phone when you're having a bad day; I think these relationships are just as powerful.

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‍Fetch: If this book were a person, how would you describe its personality?

Ari Seth Cohen: It’s very consistent with my other work — it’s joyful, spirited, vibrant, deep and meaningful, you know, and mischievous. This book is probably a little more mischievous.

‍Fetch: Do you know how many pictures you took in total for the book?

Ari Seth Cohen: I shoot like 50 to 100 photos per shoot. Typically for a project, I have, like, 500 photos and I narrow it down from there. This one was just a little bit less just because of finding the perfect people who had a deep love for animals and had an interest in expressing their personal style. 
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If you’re interested in purchasing Advanced Pets, you can do so here. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.