Mr Wilson and Loss - Faces of Denver

I was on my way to get a replacement driver’s license—something mundane—when I got stopped at a red light downtown. It was cold, windy, and snowing. Classic Denver in April.

That’s when I noticed a man across the street, working to secure a small tarp to a concrete slab. I wasn’t sure what I was watching until I saw him gently lay a blanket down. A moment later, a dog jumped onto the slab, and the man tucked him in with a thick bomber’s jacket.

He wasn’t making a shelter for himself. He was making a bed for his dog.

By the time the light turned green, I was already thinking about how that simple act said so much. I drove one more block before pulling over, grabbing my camera, and heading back on foot. I introduced myself and asked if I could pay him to take a few portraits. He said yes without hesitation.

The dog’s name is Mr. Wilson. The man is known as Loss.

After a few frames, I thanked them and began to head back to my car. But halfway there, something told me I hadn’t heard the whole story. So I returned.

What I learned made me even more grateful I had stopped.

Mr. Wilson used to belong to someone else—a man who is now in jail for fentanyl. Loss told me that Mr. Wilson was often locked in a van with that man while he smoked. The dog became addicted to fentanyl himself. When Loss took over care of Mr. Wilson, it took two painful weeks of withdrawal for him to recover.

Loss has been homeless since 2017. He lost everything after a divorce and hasn't seen his three children—who now live in Pueblo—since.

There’s no perfect ending here. No glossy resolution. Just a man, a dog, and the undeniable bond between them.

And on a cold April day, I got to witness that love.

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