After years of dealing with social anxiety, I knew I needed to do something drastic. In my mid-30s, following a devastating breakup, I found myself back in Vancouver with my rescue dog Carter - isolated, overthinking every interaction, and pulling away from people.

In March 2024, I started "The Stranger Project." The idea was simple: approach a stranger every day, offer them a free portrait, and share the interaction online. It was exposure therapy disguised as a creative project.

The first day, I walked around for eight hours before I got the courage to ask someone. To ease into it, I started with dog owners - something that felt natural since I'd been photographing random dogs on the street for years. I didn't think the project would be about dogs. I was wrong.

I committed to posting every day for a year. The audience grew to millions across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. I posted a mix of dog focused content, and human content.

But I quickly realized how much I enjoyed photographing people with their pets. Most people have photos OF their dogs, but not WITH their dogs. When I gave people that gift, some cried. It meant more to them than I could have imagined.

Somewhere along the way, I realized: I didn't need this project to fix my anxiety anymore. The stories I was capturing mattered so much more than my fear.

One of the stories I captured early on was of a woman named Mariko and her senior Shiba Inu, Kuma. Kuma was missing one eye. I met them on Kuma's birthday.

A few months later, Mariko messaged me. Kuma's health had deteriorated - experiencing doggy dementia, confused and in pain. She loved him with a purity I didn't know was possible.

"I think it's time," she wrote.

I asked if I could document their last day together. On a sunny Vancouver day, I photographed them enjoying their final moments. I could tell her mind was racing, so I asked if she'd share her story on camera - about her life with Kuma and the impossible decision she was making.

Her response brought me to tears.

When I published it, it became my most viewed video ever - reaching millions globally. It ended up on the news. People who'd made that same decision reached out to say it helped them feel less alone.

That's when I realized: I'm not just taking photos. I'm sharing stories that have the ability to inspire & connect us on a deep level.

As the audience grew to over 4 million people, I began resonating more with the stories of people & their pets.

To me, dogs represent the best parts of humanity. They embody empathy, unconditional love, presence, and loyalty. They don't worry about material possessions. They don't start wars. They focus on the small amount of time they have on this planet and spend it loving deeply, fiercely, unconditionally.

So I began exploring deeper questions, by asking: "What does your dog mean to you?" The responses changed everything - stories of dogs helping people survive depression, grief, and isolation.

When I traveled to Seattle and New York, I noticed these cities were far more dog-friendly than Vancouver. New York has over 600,000 dogs, with cafes welcoming them and parks offering off-leash hours. Vancouver restricts dogs from most public spaces and rentals.

That's when it became clear: I needed to understand not just the role dogs have in our lives, but in society as a whole. If New York can be so dog-accessible, why can't the rest of the world? What can we learn from them?

There's a mental health and loneliness crisis. People are isolated and struggling. Yet the one thing proven to help - dogs - is being systematically restricted.

For example in Vancouver, a tiny percentage of rentals allow pets, often at significantly higher costs. But my community tells me there are far more dog-friendly places in the world - Austria, Italy, and other countries where dogs are welcomed into restaurants and public spaces, not just tolerated.

The cruel irony: the people who need dogs most are the ones least able to have them.

We're in an era where people aren't having kids because of affordability and uncertainty. Now they can't even have dogs. That's making people lonelier and more at risk. Dogs can give our lives a deeper purpose beyond ourselves.

Dogs can't speak for themselves - they need us to advocate for them.

If there's a cause worth fighting for, it's for the dogs who have been by our side for centuries, providing endless unconditional love without ever asking for anything in return. This is what I'm fighting for.

I believe this platform can create real change, especially when 4 million people come together to make it happen. Here’s how:

1. Documenting Real Stories
I interview people about how their dogs have positively impacted their lives. By sharing these interactions, I hope to inspire more adoptions and show why we need to fight for dog-friendly communities.

2. Helping Shelter Dogs Find Homes
Each month, I visit animal rescue shelters and photograph dogs who need homes. Then I share their stories with millions of people online and help them get adopted.

3. Supporting Rescues & Advocacy
20% of all net proceeds from my store, donations, and Patreon go directly to animal rescue shelters and advocacy groups.

4. Building a Better Future
In the future, I want to seek out the most dog-friendly communities in the world and learn how they make it work - from cultural attitudes to policy decisions. I'd love to share these stories through long-form videos, articles, and books, proving that when we prioritize dogs in our society, everyone benefits.

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Your monthly support funds shelter photography trips to help get dogs adopted. You also get behind-the-scenes updates.

All paid members will have their name included on future shelter donations, and listed in future books as project contributors. Lastly, 20% of all net proceeds goes directly to animal rescue shelters.

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