A true story about love, loss, and the dog who changed everything.

*The Bridge*

I’ve spent most of my life documenting other people’s stories. I never expected the one that mattered most would be about a dog named Bodhi.
It began on August 5, 2008, when I held a black puppy who looked at me as if we had always known each other. It ended on September 25, 2025, when I held his nearly white face for his last breath.
Between those dates is a lifetime: joy, mischief, devotion, a shared language only we understood. Millions of photographs became my favorites, each one a piece of him, a piece of me. Together, they trace the quiet arc of who we became, to each other and to ourselves.
There was a place we returned to over the years, a simple wooden bridge. It wasn’t meant to be anything more than part of the path, but it became something sacred. It was there that we made a promise, to trust, and to always find our way back to each other.
Long after, it became something more, a bridge of friendship and becoming, where our bond was tested and strengthened over time. In the end, it revealed itself as a passage, where I would return him to the place where we first made our promises, between the life we shared and whatever comes after.
I learned then that grief doesn’t mean the story is over. It just means it mattered.

About the Author

Robert Karp is a photojournalist by trade and by instinct, drawn to human moments, bearing witness, finding meaning, and revealing what might otherwise go unseen.

Born in Albany, New York, with deep ties to Morristown, New Jersey, he earned a BFA in Art from Syracuse University and spent nearly three decades as a photographer, editor, and storyteller with Gannett NJ Press Media.

In 2019, he stepped away, expecting retirement. Instead, he heard his mother’s voice: Keep reinventing yourself if you want to stay relevant. So he did.

Since 2023, he has been based in Rio de Janeiro, documenting life in all its contrasts, from Carnaval and politics to surfing and wildlife. Each day deepens his connection to Brazil and its people.

A former competitive runner and Ironman triathlete, he still carries the endurance and perspective those miles gave him.

***In the end, he didn’t leave an emptiness. He left a direction***

***Bodhi was my compass, quietly guiding me into becoming a kinder man.***

EVENTS / SIGNINGS

First readings and signings will be announced soon…
New Jersey • Albany, NY • Raleigh, NC • Rio de Janeiro