I think dogs are the absolute best. I’ve been photographing them for many years either through shelters, rescues or my own clients. There’s never been a dog I didn’t like. I like photographing them everywhere with any type of device, iPhone, iPad or camera.
Sunny
Drama
Fullie - Puppy in the Poppies
Spencer Ricardo
Hans
Gracie
Takadashi, Tai-Lee
Riley
REPO, Princess, Spencer Ricardo
Katie -- Hollywood Dog
The State of Dogs
This flag represents some of the 1000+ dogs photographed at Coachella Valley Animal Campus (CVAC) in Thousand Palms, CA, during an 18-month period. Of the 7.6 million companion animals that enter animal shelters nationwide annually, 2.7 million of them are euthanized.
Thousands of dogs end up at shelters. The lucky ones are returned to their owners, many are adopted, others are grateful to be saved by rescues, but too many are killed because of time and space. Time and space is a term used by shelters meaning that the shelter isn’t able to devote any more “time” to finding a home for this animal and “space” because they need open kennels for the onslaught of incoming dogs.
This photo is a representation of the types of dogs you will find at every city or county shelter. You will find big, small, young, and old and a variety of breeds with 25% of them purebreds. Great dogs, loving dogs, the best dogs in the world are at shelters.
“All the dogs in this photo were categorized by the shelter as “adoptable” meaning they were suitable and acceptable for public adoption and could be photographed and placed on the public website. Yet, 42 of these “adoptable” dogs in the photo were euthanized.
Why? Adoptable dogs are reclassified with “untreatable behavioral issues, or untreatable medical issues.” You have to ask how a dog can be adoptable one day and then deteriorate so drastically within the next few days causing them to be put to death. Sadly, adoptable dogs die due to time and space. This flag is in remembrance of every dog at the shelter that deserved a chance to find a home, but died because of human negligence, ignorance and the shelter’s inability to find homes for these adoptable dogs. There is enough blame for everyone.
Simple things you can do:
1) Spay and neuter your pet.
2) Microchip your pet so they can be safely returned to you; the fewer animals going into the shelter, results in fewer that are euthanized.
3) Unless you are moving to Mars, recognize that you are committing to your pet for its lifetime.
4) With all of the great dogs at the shelter, there is no reason to ever buy from a pet store.
A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Angels in Fur Dog Rescue and the animals of Coachella Valley.
18”x24”- $150.00 Photo will be shipped in a tube.