Even though the pandemic hit my business pretty hard, and I lost my studio space, I still make time to take photos of shelter dogs every week. Good photos that stand out tend to be shared more, thus increasing the chances of a quicker adoption for many dogs.
I lug my studio lights, backdrops, stands, and camera gear to the Idaho Humane Society once, sometimes twice a week for all the new arrivals at the shelter. An employee from the shelter helps get the dogs to sit still for a headshot and then I pack up all my gear and head home to edit the photos as quickly as possible so they can get online.
We try to bring out the personalities of all the dogs the best we can so that people see that instead of a scared, nervous dog sitting in a kennel. The photos are shared hundreds of times and I've heard from several people that the moment they saw a photo of a particular dog they went to adopt them. So it works!
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Stella
The impetus for me getting involved with the Idaho Humane Society was a billboard I saw way back in January of 2009. It had a stock photo of my three dogs, Chuie, Hercules, and Dainichi on it! Dainichi is still with me, but the other two passed in 2015. While I was driving down the street on a super foggy day, my brain was like, "hmmmm, those look like my dogs," as I rubbernecked...THEY ARE MY DOGS! I drove home, got my camera, took some (foggy) photos, then posted one on Facebook. I was so excited about my find.
Oak
Annie
A funny side note is that this was the very first photo I ever posted to my timeline. That post ended up connecting me with the person who created the billboard (that's the short version), and the rest is history. I've been volunteering for special projects, photos, and events ever since! I used to go out and take photos of the shelter animals, but they were always in their kennels, so they looked like ads from those television commercials that tug at your heartstrings. Volunteering my skills at the IHS and doing photos for them is something I'm very passionate about, and I'm so happy there is now an opportunity to do photo shoots with the animals out of their kennels since it wasn't possible before due to logistics.
Hanzo
Shamrock
I lug my photo gear to their new facility once a week and set up a basic studio backdrop to take the shelter dogs' photos.
I try to vary the backgrounds to keep them fresh and fun so they are more likely to get shared. Many of the dogs are either very shy or super excited when taken out of their kennels for the photo session. An employee and a volunteer help get the dogs settled and comfortable so I can capture their personalities. We use peanut butter to soothe their anxiety and keep their minds focused and a squeaky toy to get their attention for a second so they will look at the camera. We try to make the experience fun and exciting for them! Sometimes I use a themed background for holidays and we also put colorful bandanas on them to make them pop off the page in an ocean of photos followers see in their own social media feed.
Tank
Ruby
The shelter has staff who post the photos on their website and social media, along with links to each dog so people can learn more about the ones they might be interested in. I post the photos on my own social media pages to try to get them shared more so they can get adopted faster. I also do a lot of behind-the-scenes work with the IHS creating graphics for events and have donated photos that adorn their hallway and automobile wraps.
Nala
Such a beauty! I think her brother's a cop (see meme, contains adult language, still makes me laugh). Youre-goin...f234a1.jpg
So cute was he in the war if he was salut him for me hope heis happy
Daisy
I know these photos make a difference because I've run into people out and about whom I've talked to and heard their stories. One, in particular, stands out in my mind. I am an avid wildlife photographer and was up in the foothills one day photographing long-eared owls. A lady was hiking with a dog and stopped to chat for a minute. I looked at her dog (obviously) and thought she looked familiar. I asked where she got her, and she said the shelter. I was putting the pieces together after she told me the dog's name. It was the same one she had at the shelter! I told her that I took her dog's shelter photo, and she said that was the reason she went to look at her. Good photos give these dogs a higher chance of someone being interested in them and also getting their photo shared online. I love being able to be a part of helping a shelter animal find their forever home faster!
Mack
Coyote
Parzival
Ricky
Bear
Frank
Freya
Baija
Sachi
Pepper
Baxter
Summer
Zita
Desoto
Zues
Raja
Champ
Bub
Marshmellow
Oreo and Lil Bit
Woody
Roki
Kane
Nelson
Cody
Sterling
Faye
Moose
Higgins
Mister
Sukray
Unfortunately Manu people adopted pets during the first COVID lock down & now shelters are fill up again. People couldn't get vet to fix pets & in my town of 1,000 the local RAIN aka Rescued Animals In Need had over 400 kittens just this summer. People need to consider Pets as Children...a lifetime commitment. Our shelters are so full in NorCal many aren't accepting pets so people just dump them...I rescued a kitten a guy found on the highway...I thought she was 3-4wks old...she was 10wks & weighed ONE pound exactly. Thank God she's now, though still tiny, a Beautiful Blue Point fluff ball. Please don't get a Pet if you can't Spay/Neuter it or commit to it for it's Lifetime. 💜✌
BRAVA Annie Bieber! You are a blessing to animals!
Load More Replies...Learning what to watch out for when caring for animals is extremely important because they try to hide their problems as part of their "Survival of the Fittest" mentality. Btw, noticeably strong "frito feet" isn't normal and needs to be taken cared of.
Frito feet are actually normal. Most dogs get it because that's where the sweat glands are and it creates a yeasty environment. HOWEVER, if there is a very strong smell or discharge, dog should visit the vet. Washing them daily and keeping long hair on the feet can help but the scent is not always able to be removed completely.
Load More Replies...so.... totally unrelated......... how much space would approximately 41 dogs take up? just curious..........
I was more concerned about how much poop 41 extra dogs would bring me.
Load More Replies...THANK YOU for doing this! I almost missed out on my dog because she looked so sad in her photo. Now I understand that with love and patience, most dogs can be rehabilitated! And it really makes you feel good about yourself when you can turn their lives around!
Recover money from bitcoin scam Don't ever feel intimidated or manipulated into giving them your money. I had a scary experience recently. I was catfished into believing I was talking to my favorite music legend unknowing to me, It's a cloned account and before I knew it, I had given out, $59,000 in Bitcoin and Ethereum. I had to hire Cyber Genie Pro to help me recover it and they did great recovering my stolen Bitcoin. https://www.cybergeniehackpro.xyz/
Don't ever feel intimidated or manipulated into giving them your money. I had a scary experience recently. I was catfished into believing I was talking to my favorite music legend unknowing to me, It's a cloned account and before I knew it, I had given out, $59,000 in Bitcoin and Ethereum. I had to hire Cyber Genie Pro to help me recover it and they did great recovering my stolen Bitcoin. https://www.cybergeniehackpro.xyz/
Wonderful photos! I will never understand why or how anyone could just turn their back on any one of these sweet faces. Of course, I don't know the back-stories either so I don't judge... I'm just sayin.
Thanks for letting us see these wonderful photos. Where are they located? The 3 dogs I have are rescued dogs.
They are from the Idaho Humane Society
Load More Replies...Adorable! My sister did the same thing for cats at our local shelter a couple times.
Eyes are windows to the soul and that was never more true than looking into a dogs expressive eyes
This photographer really captured the spirit of each dog. Wonderful photos!
Unfortunately Manu people adopted pets during the first COVID lock down & now shelters are fill up again. People couldn't get vet to fix pets & in my town of 1,000 the local RAIN aka Rescued Animals In Need had over 400 kittens just this summer. People need to consider Pets as Children...a lifetime commitment. Our shelters are so full in NorCal many aren't accepting pets so people just dump them...I rescued a kitten a guy found on the highway...I thought she was 3-4wks old...she was 10wks & weighed ONE pound exactly. Thank God she's now, though still tiny, a Beautiful Blue Point fluff ball. Please don't get a Pet if you can't Spay/Neuter it or commit to it for it's Lifetime. 💜✌
BRAVA Annie Bieber! You are a blessing to animals!
Load More Replies...Learning what to watch out for when caring for animals is extremely important because they try to hide their problems as part of their "Survival of the Fittest" mentality. Btw, noticeably strong "frito feet" isn't normal and needs to be taken cared of.
Frito feet are actually normal. Most dogs get it because that's where the sweat glands are and it creates a yeasty environment. HOWEVER, if there is a very strong smell or discharge, dog should visit the vet. Washing them daily and keeping long hair on the feet can help but the scent is not always able to be removed completely.
Load More Replies...so.... totally unrelated......... how much space would approximately 41 dogs take up? just curious..........
I was more concerned about how much poop 41 extra dogs would bring me.
Load More Replies...THANK YOU for doing this! I almost missed out on my dog because she looked so sad in her photo. Now I understand that with love and patience, most dogs can be rehabilitated! And it really makes you feel good about yourself when you can turn their lives around!
Recover money from bitcoin scam Don't ever feel intimidated or manipulated into giving them your money. I had a scary experience recently. I was catfished into believing I was talking to my favorite music legend unknowing to me, It's a cloned account and before I knew it, I had given out, $59,000 in Bitcoin and Ethereum. I had to hire Cyber Genie Pro to help me recover it and they did great recovering my stolen Bitcoin. https://www.cybergeniehackpro.xyz/
Don't ever feel intimidated or manipulated into giving them your money. I had a scary experience recently. I was catfished into believing I was talking to my favorite music legend unknowing to me, It's a cloned account and before I knew it, I had given out, $59,000 in Bitcoin and Ethereum. I had to hire Cyber Genie Pro to help me recover it and they did great recovering my stolen Bitcoin. https://www.cybergeniehackpro.xyz/
Wonderful photos! I will never understand why or how anyone could just turn their back on any one of these sweet faces. Of course, I don't know the back-stories either so I don't judge... I'm just sayin.
Thanks for letting us see these wonderful photos. Where are they located? The 3 dogs I have are rescued dogs.
They are from the Idaho Humane Society
Load More Replies...Adorable! My sister did the same thing for cats at our local shelter a couple times.
Eyes are windows to the soul and that was never more true than looking into a dogs expressive eyes
This photographer really captured the spirit of each dog. Wonderful photos!