When deer visit my yard, I continue to be amazed at how easily they can hide among the brush and brambles. One minute, a doe is eating apples from the low-hanging branches in my small orchard, and then, when I turn my head for just a minute and look back, she’s gone. It feels a little bit like magic, as if these gentle creatures can touch hoof to nose, then “poof,” they’re transported to a different location. Maybe I like to imagine this scenario because I’ve watched so many Disney movies, but what usually happens is this: the deer “vanishes.” I carefully scan the yard, and then I spot my “magical” friend curled up in some tall grass. I almost want to blurt out, “I spy … a deer!”
Of course, playing a version of hide-and-seek with backyard wildlife can be unpredictable. No wildlife? No hide-and-seek. But there is a predictable source of “I spy” fun, and it just so happens to involve an adorable border collie named Momo and his devoted caretaker, best friend and skilled photographer, Andrew Knapp.
When Knapp adopted Momo from an animal shelter in 2008, he knew that they would be buddies. And knowing that border collies are working dogs, it didn’t take long for him to appreciate Momo’s “incredible work ethic.” But it wasn’t until 2012 when Knapp’s photographic talents and Momo’s smarts — plus inordinate amounts of patience — combined into an online, and later, a publishing sensation.
“Finding Momo” has a very simple premise, and the author says it best: “My dog is hiding in this book. Can you find him?”
