The Tilly Project aims to connect pet owners with end-of-life pet photographers across the world, and to provide accessible, educational, and supportive resources for photography, anticipatory grief, and pet loss and bereavement.
The site was founded in 2021 by Lauren Kennedy, who has a background in photography and animal rescue work and is employed at the Saco River Wildlife Center as the director of development. In the spring of last year, a friend reached out to Lauren, knowing that she might have some resources on where to find a pet urn. Their conversation led to Lauren offering free end-of-life pet photography for the family whose pet was dying.
After the photo session, Lauren posted the photos (with permission) on her personal Facebook page and TikTok. The response was overwhelming and it became quickly apparent that there was a real need, as she started to receive hundreds of emails a day.
She created a Facebook group to allow networking for clients seeking the service and photographers who offer it. The list grew to over 300 photographers across the world and led to the creation of the site. Today the site is searchable by country as well as state bringing together photographers with pet lovers everywhere. There are currently over 1,000 photographers who offer their services on the site. While Lauren has continued to keep her services free of charge and available to all, others on the site charge for their images at their own set rates.
Lauren shares, “I feel so honored to have the chance to memorialize the love shared between pets and their owners. These vulnerable, raw snapshots capture this incredibly special bond and honor for the impact and love that they have shown to their families. I believe that by providing families with this gift, it can help them process the grief, while always having these sincere photos to capture their feelings.”
The Tilly Project also offers grief resources specifically for adults (with another section for children), ideas to memorialize one’s pet, and links to pet loss and bereavement specialists. Lauren also created a section that provides educational photographic tutorials for individuals and veterinary staff when a professional photographer isn’t an option.
The Tilly Project is named after her “little orange cat” named Tilly, who died tragically in 2018.