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An older man sorts piles of old black-and-white photos on a table while a harlequin Great Dane sniffs the pictures. 37 / 39

Grandpa Earl Spread Out Decades of Old Family Photos. Domino Wanted to See Too.

AI imagegreat danefamily photoskitchen table

Old photographs are spread across the table in overlapping piles: black-and-white portraits, faded snapshots, scalloped-edge prints from decades ago. Grandpa Earl leans over them in his olive fishing vest, one weathered finger resting on a picture, his expression soft and thoughtful beneath his white mustache. Right beside him, Domino has lowered his long spotted muzzle to the table, nose pressed gently to the edge of a photo, eyes half closed as he takes a slow, careful sniff. A folded newspaper sits at the table's edge, and soft window light fills the quiet kitchen.

To a dog, old photographs are a treasure trove of scents: paper, ink, dust, and the lingering traces of hands that have held them over the years. A dog's sense of smell is vastly more sensitive than ours, and sniffing is one of the main ways they explore and understand the world. Letting a dog sniff new objects, under supervision, is a simple form of enrichment. Old photos are fragile, though, and a curious nose, a drooly lip, or a sweeping tail can damage them quickly. Keeping precious prints in sleeves or boxes and giving the dog a chew nearby helps protect both.

Earl may be lost in memories, but he's not alone in them. Domino seems just as interested in the family stories, one sniff at a time.

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