Theron adopted Maddie from an animal shelter in Georgia in April 2011 when she was about 10 months old. At that time, he had just quit his job as a fashion photographer for a women’s clothing store and decided that he needed more from his life. He started a new project “This Wild Idea” where he interviewed people across America every day for the entire year. Maddie was by his side the entire time. 

During this time, Theron started photographing Maddie in all sorts of cute places and poses. He didn’t even realize when she suddenly became his muse. Theron soon discovered that his best friend has a particular skill for balancing on things, and after a publisher contacted him, he made a book “Maddie on Things.” As the title suggests, the book features photos of Maddie’s special skill. 

Maddie also inspired Theron to make another documentary project, “Why We Rescue.” This sensitive and warm project features people from New York who adopted dogs from animal shelters. Theron aimed to make this project special and instead of focusing on the sad aspects of animal rescue, he pointed out only the positive things about it. He focused on what happens after a canine is rescued: the joy and wholeness that they can bring to a person’s life. Just like Maddie brought to his. 

Theron’s photos show Maddie enjoying the simple things in life: laying on the flower fields, warming next to the fireplace, swimming in the ocean, and running free in the fields. That’s a perfect reminder to us that in this fast-paced world, we should not forget to enjoy our lives and the little things inside it. And if you have a lovely canine by your side, your life is whole.