The Comet Dog

The Comet Dog is the lead character in the online photo story The Adventures of The Comet Dog: Missing Someone Is Hard. The story features, Comet, a Golden Retriever, who is searching for his best friend, a deployed soldier. In the story, Comet takes on the identity of a superhero because dogs aren't allowed many places. The book uses photographs and the innocent eyes of a dog to show the challenges of deployment for the children, families, and friends of deployed troops.

While the book is written in the style of a children's book and is based on a deployed soldier, it is intended for anyone who is missing someone from their life.

The Comet Dog was photographed for the story with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Milwaukee Fire Department, the Budweiser Clydesdales and at the Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee Irish Fest and many other notable locations.

The story was created and photographed by Bill McGinnis of Milwaukee, WI. The project began in response to his long-term girlfriend's (Julianna) deployment to Balad, Iraq - Joint Base Balad, in July 2009, as a United States Air Force airman. The project benefited from the assistance of many people in gaining access to venues and in the photo sessions. All of the photographs are real and unmanipulated - Comet was actually in ALL of the places where he is depicted.

Work on The Comet Dog's story led to the creation of Team Comet Dog, a growing group of people who are raising money to assist wounded U.S. troops.

In real life, The Comet Dog is a purebred golden retriever born May 2, 2006.