Dog owner searching for Philadelphia photographer who captured her beloved hound's final walk
UPDATE: The photographer was found less than 24 hours after this story was published.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you like taking pictures in Fairmount, you may have taken a photo recently that could help heal a broken heart. One woman says she was approached by a man on the street to take a photo of her and her beloved dog, and that image ended up being the last picture ever snapped of the pair.
"He was my best friend for 13 years," Kristina Cusenza said of her beloved hound mix Weston.
Cusenza spends a lot of time reflecting these days. That's what happens when you lose a pet who becomes family. And for Cusenza, that was Weston.
"He just became this light in my life," Cusenza recalled.
Weston died on Sept. 12. But hours before, the pair made one of their last memories together. They took a walk in Fairmount and stopped near the corner of 26th and Brown streets. Weston had been sick and needed a break.
"And someone asked if they could take my photo, so I looked up and said, 'Sure,'" Cusenza said. "A few hours later, I did bring Weston to the vet and had the really hard conversation with my vet that it was probably time to say goodbye to my buddy. Because it was obvious he was really struggling, and I didn't want him to suffer anymore."
After that, she realized the significance of the photograph.
"Reflecting on that photo, what I didn't know at the time, was that would be the last picture of my dog and I, and that would be our last walk together," Cusenza said.
Cusenza never saw the photo. She didn't even get the photographer's name. So, she turned to social media, hoping a Facebook post in a Fairmount neighborhood group would help.
If only people knew what Weston meant to her.
Weston was a rescue pup, and Kristina was a failed foster parent – as so many are. She didn't want to adopt at first but fell in love immediately. And, turns out, she found Weston at just the right time.
"He was born the day after my mom died," Cusenza said. "So, I kinda felt that it was this gift from the universe, this gift from my mom. 'Hey, you could really use a buddy right now.'"
And now, Cusenza says even a blurry photo of her best buddy would do.
"If you're out there, Mr. Photographer, please reach out to me," Cusenza said. "Even if the photo sucks, and you weren't happy with it, it doesn't even matter to me. I would love to just see it."
After all, it was Weston that physically got Cusenza moving again after her mom's death, by what else – taking a walk.
