Fur Ever Yours Photography: January 2013

Hoping everyones New Year is off to a great start! Things seem to be going pretty well here. January will be over in a few days so I guess we'll see how good of a start we've gotten into this New Year.

Created my Photography page on Facebook (Fur Ever Yours Photography) It's still more in the hobby and practice stage and getting myself out there, but it's a work in progress and I'm enjoying it. I'm my own worst critic so that's a huge down fall. I love dogs and photographing them, but at the same time I'm afraid to photograph the dogs (I want people to be happy with the pictures they get, I'm afraid to disapoint them) Photography is a constant education. You are always refining your technique and practicing and getting to know you camera every day. There is always room for improvement.

I have also been photographing dogs at the local shelter for nearly a year now! Hard to believe it's been a year. When my friend first asked me to go with her to the shelter so I could get a few photos of the dogs she wanted to help save, I never thought I'd be doing what I'm doing now, or that I would have met the people I've met.

It started out just my friend and I going out there to the shelter, but it was difficult to photograph the dogs when they were still in their kennels, so I sent out a request for someone to volunteer to come out and help take the dogs out of their kennels so I could get better photos of them, that went so well, we thought asking/begging/pleading to allow volunteers to come out and walk dogs on a weekly basis (and give them baths to get rid of that gross shelter smell) would be a great idea. Guess what? It was!

We now have a WONDERFUL group of shelter volunteers varying in ages. They do so many things for the shelter. Some pick up laundry (towels, blankets and what not) and wash them and bring them back to the shelter, they help feed the dogs, walk the dogs, foster the dogs, many volunteers help pay for emergency vetting care that a dog might need, they organize fundraisers for the shelter, donate items to the shelter, volunteer their dog grooming services and dog training abilities, sponsor a dog (meaning they pay the dogs adoption fee), take dogs on transports either to meet their new adopted family, or drive them to meet the next leg of their transport to a rescue group. They do so many things!

Our shelter walks in every parade that the community has to help get the shelter dogs out there and into the community. So many people didn't even know we had a shelter but after we were in the Homecoming Parade this past fall so many people became aware of the shelter.

We raised enough money to fence in the yard of the shelter so the dogs have an out door enclosure to play in too! Which the dogs absolutely love.

We have a wonderful Animal Control Officer. She works with volunteers, rescue groups, and loves the dogs. I've seen the dogs interact with her and they love her. They know she's the one that took them off the streets and brought them in where it's not freezing or too hot, and gives them food, and water. While being in a shelter certainly isn't ideal, atleast they aren't running the streets anymore and they have a meal in their tummy and a safe place to sleep.

Myself and many volunteers go in on Friday's to walk the dogs, and I photograph them to post on the Shelter page I admin on Facebook. Trying to help find their owners if they are out there looking for them, and if no one is looking for them, to find them new owners and a new lease on life.

This part, cant be especially hard sometimes.

Our local shelter happens to be a gassing facility, in a small rural town. Our shelter has made huge strides in the past year or two, and has really come a long way in the past several months from what it used to be. I hope we will continue to see those changes, and I'm positive we will. Though anytime you hear the term "gassing facility" prepare for the judging and hate to be unleashed.

When you start networking a dog here there and everywhere under the sun trying to get that dog SEEN to get them ADOPTED. Man, you really get some comments. Lots of hurtful comments, directed at your shelter, directed sometimes, at you. You can try to explain things, or let them know the story or just whatever, and it all falls on deaf ears. People don't care what you have to say, you are the "bad guy" in their eyes because you are associated with a gassing shelter. You instantly fall into the jerk category, monster category, horrible awful person category, hitler category, animal cruelty category, and these people don't even know you.

Here are just a FEW samples of things I get to read on a daily basis being aimed at our shelter, our volunteers, our ACO, myself. Actual quotes from messages or comments I've received.

save not kill them

PLEASE!!!!! STOP GASSING THESE POOR BABIES. IT IS INCREDIBLY PAINFUL FOR THEM...BUT YOU KNOW THAT. THERE ARE MORE HUMANE WAYS TO KILL OR MAKE YOUR SHELTER A NO KILL ONE. PLEASE STOP!!!

GASSING IS FRIGGIN INHUMANE!!! HOW DO THESE PEOPLE SLEEP

how do we stop the gassing?> that is sick and vile! who the hell invented that shit to kill animals? what the hell!

How can any place that gases animals be called a shelter?

they make their own names up shelter is a word to hide what they do inside shaaring

They shouldnt use gas at all. How would they like to take the gas in themselves

I thought Hitler was dead!!!

I cannot believe gassing ANY living being is legal, its cruel and inhumane...hello, I thought nazi gassing chambers died with hitler!!!!!

They should never, never gas a dog, how would they like to be gased?

cant believe gassing shelters even exist, as if these animals dont go thru enough waiting to get adopted, this is just sick!

POS MURDERING HITLER LOVERS!!!! ...u should b in that chamber and c how FAST u stop ur HITLER LOVING MURDERS!!!!!

The comments come every day, and have only gotten worse now that we network our dogs more and more. I'm so THANKFUL that the dogs are getting networked. THANKFUL that they are getting adopted, THANKFUL that there are people out there that are passionate about HELPING the dogs.

However, these types of comments, what do they help? First of all, you are clogging up the comment feed on a dog needing rescue, so then people have to dig through all of the comments to see who ACTUALLY is interested in helping the dog. If I have to read through 200-300 negative posts...it takes forever, and makes me not WANT to read. Trust me, I do my best to read every post, to not miss ANYONE who might be interested in saving a dog.

It is difficult.

No wonder my anxiety is back full strength. Some days I log onto the shelter page I admin, and I don't want to. I don't want to check the places we network the dogs. My chest is all tight, and my stomach is in a ball, just dreading what I'll be reading. I push forward and do it anyway. I hold my breath praying I haven't made anyone mad today.

These people are, in a way...right. Yes, gassing IS a HORRIBLE way for a dog to die. They SHOULDN'T die that way. We do not want them to die that way, we don't want them to die at all. Which is why we do what we are doing. That is why I started going in and taking their pictures, that's why I begged and asked and begged and asked and so on...to start the shelter Facebook page. I wanted to save lives. I wanted to make a difference. To read and to hear some of the awful things being said by people who don't even KNOW us or our shelter or our situation as a community...it's hard, and it takes a toll!

Growing up out in a small speck in the road country town, I'll admit my family sent their fair share of dogs to the pound. They probably died. Not something I'm proud of, it breaks my heart just thinking about it and makes me work even HARDER. When I moved to Moberly, I didn't even know they had a shelter. Infact it was nearly 3 years ago before I learned they had a shelter, and about 2 years ago before I learned where it was. I was driving right past it and never had a clue.

I'm glad I know now.

I wish our small town shelter didn't gas dogs. However, that's what happens IF the shelter gets full. It can house 24 dogs (we do not handle cats). 24 kennels can fill up very quickly believe it or not. We can go from like 8-11 dogs to 22 in like 48 hours!

So we bust our butts day in, and day out to get dogs into foster homes (we're always begging and pleading for fosters in our community!!!) We're always pleading for adopters too! But we're a small area...there are only so many people who can adopt! We have to branch out. We do what we can, which is thankfully quite a bit.

The first step was photographing them and getting them out there and seen. Then we were able to start networking more, and working with rescue groups (and we work with a LOT of great rescue groups!)

The quicker we keep the shelter #'s down the safer the dogs are. If we can stay under half full that's a good thing.

When we network dogs we let them know that YES it is a gassing facility. I'm not going to lie and say we aren't. That would be wrong. We are a gassing facility. I tell you this so you take it seriously and realize that YES these dogs ARE in danger. We need to get them moving to keep dogs safe, so dogs do not get gassed. I do NOT envy the job of our ACO, I do not have the stomach, not even REMOTELY to do what she does. I respect her tremendously for stepping up to be our communities ACO. The dogs are not afraid of her, they love her, they lick her, they play with her, they wag their tails when they see her coming. She gets to know them, she helps them get homes. So why on earth would she want them to die? She doesn't. She wants them to live and get homes. So to do that? We help, we photograph, network, foster, get rescues and adopters etc etc.

It breaks your heart when you walk into the shelter and hear the barks, yips, howls, cries of those dogs. To witness a dog try to run up to every car that pulls in they think is their family coming back for them, and it isn't. Their family isn't coming (most of the time, thankfully we are able to reunite lost dogs with their families quite often!)

Recently someone witnessed a young black lab dumped on the side of the road. The dog was picked up and taken to a volunteer's house, and then later moved to another volunteers house to be fostered. Thankfully for Belle, she did find a home very quickly and she is doing great there, but that isn't the case for every dumped dog.

Belle, that was dumped, has been adopted

So many dogs are dumepd at the local park. We have a nice enclosed dog park that seems to be a favorite dumping grounds for "unwanted" litters of puppies or a random dog or two.

Right now the park has a dog (that has been dubbed "Parker") that runs the local park. ACO has been attempting to catch the dog for quite some time, but several members of the community have been making that incredibly difficult. They don't WANT her to be caught. However, should that dog ever actually hurt someone (you never know what could happen) the community will then be upset the dog wasn't caught before anything happened. What if the dog gets pregnant and has puppies out there? What if someone does something horribly mean to the dog? What if the dog gets into traffic and gets ran over? What about this super cold weather we're having right now? Doesn't the dog deserve a warm place to sleep? What about the dogs health? (Rabies, worms, etc) There are people who actually DO want to adopt this dog should it be caught. Problem is? The dog can't be caught because people keep interfering with catching the dog! Which, I was reading up on city ordinances and from what I've read, interfering with the capture of a dog at large is against the law. I don't care how much food you leave out for the dog, or how "close" you get to the dog, you aren't doing it any favors. Let the dog be caught, she isn't going to be hurt. We want to prevent her FROM getting hurt. People aren't watching her 24/7 she's not in the safety of someones home or yard, she's running loose in a city park, where children play. Sure, she may not be a viscious dog (which is great) but even the nicest dog can feel threatened and try to protect itself. If she bites someone that will be bad. Atleast at the shelter she will have a warm roof over her head, a regular meal in her tummy, she can get a parvo shot, and since there is already a list of people wanting to adopt her should she actually BE caught, she can get adopted, spayed/neutered (Pretty sure this dog is female but just in case could be a he LOL). Responsible owners for this dog could be found and she could get all of the medical care she needs and a safe yard to play in. Just let the ACO do her job! She isn't a monster or a horrible person, I've actually known her for several years!

The volunteers are not monsters either. We have families too. We have children (of varying ages), we have pets (dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, fish, horses, etc etc). We all love animals or we wouldn't be at the shelter helping the dogs. If we didn't love them we wouldn't be spending our own money to help these dogs. We have entire FAMILIES that come out (my own included, weather permitting). We bring out our whole family so our children can learn to give back to others and help those in need.

I don't see any "monsters" here. Only caring, compassionate, wonderful, amazing volunteers and a fantastic ACO. We all care about our shelter dogs. We are doing our best to make their lives a little better. If we truly didn't care we wouldn't network, we wouldn't volunteer, we wouldn't transport. But we care, and we care a LOT.

I literally spend hours of my time online and on the phone, sending emails, facebook messages, fixing pictures, updating the shelter Facebook Page, etc trying to help the dogs. I'm not the only one either. All of our volunteers spend much of their personal time helping the dogs. Spending the weekend on a road trip with about 6 puppies in the back of the van driving to meet another transporter isn't probably the way a lot of people would choose to spend their weekend. Especially spending their own money on gas to get these dogs that aren't even yours where they need to go. Our shelter volunteers do this, and they do this nearly every weekend.

I went on this sweet girl's transport to meet up in Kingdom City
with the woman who would be taking her on the rest of the way
to her rescue. It can be quite the adventure going on dog transports!
I love going on transports, I get to travel with a great and hilarious
group of ladies that always crack me up. We have a great time
and help save dogs in the process!

So please, don't call our shelter a monster. The real "monsters" are the ones who cause the dogs to end up at the shelter to begin with.

We're being honest when we say we're a gassing facility, so the dogs are marked as a priority to get them out quicker. The last time dogs were gassed at our shelter was in September. 4 sweet and beautiful dogs died. We were all shattered. We had networked like crazy, made phone calls, emails, begged and pleaded for fosters or adopters, begged for a rescue to make room. No one had room. Everyone we contacted was full. No one in our community stepped forward to foster or adopt these dogs. When they died...I did something I probably shouldn't have, I mentioned it. I said they were gone, the ACO was FLOODED with local calls from angry people upset that she had gassed these dogs. Honestly? I'm disappointed in the community. If you didn't want these dogs to die where were you when we were begging and pleading for their lives to be saved? When we were asking for fosters? Many people saw there were dogs in need. 100's if not 1000's of people saw these dogs. No one stepped up to do anything. They died. Now the shelter gets the blame.

Is it REALLY the shelters fault that these dogs died? What about all of those who chose not to spay and neuter? Who has over run our community with unwanted dogs. Not trying to lay blame anywhere but it's just something to think about. What about those that dump dogs, or breed dogs just because they can. Who give dogs away for free, and NO ONE is bothering to spay and neuter. Do you not see the problem? Spay and neutere there will be fewer dogs to have end up in the shelter. People dump dogs to die, and fend for themselves out in the country every single day. Do you know how many messages I get from people near our town that ask me if they can bring in dogs that were dumped out in the country. A lot of these houses out in the country have many MANY dumped dogs that they feed and take care of and try to find homes for on their own. We're a CITY shelter, we cannot help those outside of our city limits. It's difficult and frustrating. But people, the ones who were supposed to be RESPONSIBLE for that dog just take it out to the country and DUMP IT where it will either get ran over, killed by another dog, or starve to death. If the dog is lucky it will get found by a compassionate person that happens to live down that road and will be fed and cared for. Many times...those dogs aren't that lucky. They die, by starvation, or freeze to death. Why? Because their owners didn't want them anymore, or they couldn't bother to spay the mom, or they were just too cheap to pay a fee to take them to the local shelter.

The shelter itself doesn't get to choose if it's no kill or not, the community helps make that decision. How willing is the community to come forward step up to the plate and help their local shelter? Are you willing to foster? Are you willing to get your dog spayed or neutered? Are you willing to adopt from the shelter rather than shop for one from a breeder? Are you willing to put ID tags on your dog so IF they get loose we know who to return them too? Don't blame us and expect the problem to go away. It won't. It will only get worse. If you don't LIKE what is going on, then be a part of the SOLUTION not part of the problem. You can talk all you want, but actions speak louder than words.

Shelters do not just magically grow more kennels, we can't just expand to hold every dog that comes in. There is legally a certain number of dogs that can be in each kennel at a time.

Our shelter when they pick up a dog searches for ID tags, scans the dog for microchips, fills out a kennel card (in date, pick up location, breed, collar/tags, gender etc) the dog if it's a stray pick up has a 10 day "hold" which means owners have 10 days to come in and claim their dog. Lots of times owners are contacted and they come in within that day or the next couple of days to pick up their dog. Sometimes that 10 days is up and no one has come forward to claim the dog. That then means the dog is available for adoption. This means that someone can come in and adopt that dog and pay the given adoption fee.

Once the dog is adopted, it's adopted. You then have 30 days by MISSOURI STATE LAW to get that dog spayed or neutered. City of Moberly has an ordinance stating that all pets (dogs and cats) need to have a city rabies tag and rabies certificate from the vet.

Several of the shelter dogs are sent to the awesome HOUNDS Program. It's similar to a Puppies for Parole Program. Inmates (I think there is a technical term but can't remember so I apologize if I used the wrong term) that are chosen train a dog by teaching it simple skills. Potty training, kennel training, sit, lay down, how to walk on a leash etc. If the dog learns quickly the dog can learn some fun skills like shake and roll over. The dogs that graduate the program are spayed/neutered, up to date on all of thier shots and are on heart worm prevention meds. These dogs are then adopted out for a price that covers the next dog in the program to go through.

Duke, a current student of the HOUNDS Program.
He was supposed to go in the program many
months ago but slipped on wet cement and tore
his ACL, needing surgery. Volunteers helped
do a Chip In and many people came together to donate
so Duke can have his surgery as soon as he graduates
the HOUNDS program! He's looking for a FUR EVER home!

Freckles was the ONLY puppy at our shelter this spring
that survived Parvo. Hers was caught in time as
she was one of the last puppies to come in, and
thanks to a Chip In her vet bill was paid and
she graduated the HOUNDS Program and was adopted!

Poor Lexi was a stray that came in, then her owner came and got her
then she ended up back in the shelter and her owner didn't come back for her.
She was STUBBORN and STRONG, and we were concerned. She
went through the HOUNDS Program and was adopted by one of
the shelter volunteers and is spoiled rotten!

Look at this beautiful girl, her name is Patches, and she's just
one of many awesome dogs from our shelter that go into the HOUNDS
Program. Patches was adopted by her foster too and is doing great. Even our
ACO adopted a dog from the HOUNDS Program! They are great dogs.

It's a great program that has saved several dogs lives! If we didn't have this program in our shelter I cringe to know how many MORE dogs would have been gassed!

Rescues come forward and take many of the shelter dogs. They then make sure those dogs are healthy get them their shots, and spayed and neutered and then adopt them out wherever their rescue group is from doing adoption applications, home visits, and adoption events to help dogs find their just right home. Rescues are a great thing for shelter dogs! We've had several shelter dogs who had behaviorial issues and were too big for the HOUNDS Program, and a rescue group came forward for the dog saving it's life (as usually those are the dogs that end up sitting at the shelter the longest, which puts them in danger should the shelter get full).

Senor Fuzzy Buns. Yep. I named him that.
He was among the FIRST dogs I ever photographed.
He had been from the local shelter and was in a foster home.
He had been picked up just right down the road from where I live.
It was still kind of cold probably March of last year or so. He
could hardly walk his back legs weren't quite right. But he
still got around and told you like it was. He should be a dog model,
the camera loved him. He loved to pose! He went on to a rescue
group and last I knew, they had decided to keep him as a personal pet.

This sweet girl went to rescue over the summer, we found out that
she is actually the MOM to our own sweet Molly. She had given birth
to MANY litters of puppies. No one came to claim her, and we got her into
a rescue. She was spayed, and adopted out. No more puppies for her,
AND a fantastic Fur Ever home! I'm glad we could help my dog's mom!

This beautiful gal was at the shelter over the summer,
WOW! She was unique! I had never seen a Catahoula Hound
before. She easily found a rescue and was transported on
to a better life.

Red, as we called him was sent to a local Missouri
dog rescue. He was put in foster where they found
he was positive for heart worms. Our shelter had no idea
he was positive for them. Being in rescue they were able to
treat him for heart worms (which can be very costly). They didn't give
up on him! We got to see him at an adoption event over the summer.
He didn't get adopted that day, but he DID eventually find his
Fur Ever Home!

Brownie had been at the shelter for quite some time
and was in some danger should the shelter
get full, which it was close to being full.
With lots of networking and people coming together
we were able to get this adorabel sweet guy to
safety!

Wooly came to the shelter in rough shape. His feet were swollen and red,
he was dirty and wild. I have no idea how life lead him to the shelter.
He was a shelter favorite of several volunteers, and we worried
about his safety. He wasn't a dog that many would adopt. He had only a couple
of interested adopters, who fell through. So Wooly sat and waited.
Things were getting dire and we were afraid Wooly wasn't going
to make it out. We continued to network him and make phone calls and
plead to get him out. Wooly went to rescue and is a safe boy!

This poor mama, was found under an abandoned house's front porch where she
had given birth. It was HOT and she lost a couple of puppies.
Her owners could have had her spayed and saved her the heart ache of
losing some of her puppies. A wonderful rescue group took
Mama and all the puppies. Made sure mama and all the puppies
were spayed/neutered and got them adopted out.

Bella, sat in a foster home since September, no one adopted her.
Her fosters never brought her to the many parades so people could see her.
I didn't even know who her fosters were, people didn't know how to see about
meeting her. So she sat, in foster....waiting. She went into heat and they brought
her back to the shelter. Thankfully a wonderful rescue group stepped up
and took in this sweet girl.

This sweet little lady was picked up as a stray, her owners were found
they didn't want her back. So she was sent on to a rescue group,
where she gave birth to PUPPIES! Could that have been why
her owners didn't want her back? All they had to do was
get her spayed. Last I knew only 2 of her puppies had
survived.

Fosters are great because they house a dog in their home and treat it like a part of the family until the dogs for ever home can be found. Being a foster means you need to be available to bring the dog to adoption events the shelter might have, be available for potential adopters to come and meet the dog, and be available when rescues come forward to save a dog. Fosters help keep shelter numbers down. However, we don't want to end up having dogs sit in foster homes for a long period of time because that can hurt the shelter dogs too. It's a juggling act, always keep the dogs moving until they find their FUR EVER home. That's the goal. Get them adopted into a fur ever home. Volunteers, fosters, transporters and rescuers are all just a few steps in that process.

Max was at our shelter, was then adopted, then returned to the shelter.
He hung out at the shelter for quite awhile and has always been a shelter fave.
We worked hard to network him and get him out there. People FREAKED
they totally thought our shelter was going to kill this guy. NO WAY!
He would NOT have died. Too many peopl loved him and were doing their best
to help him get adopted. Here is with Shawnda his favorite volunteer.
She went with him on a transport to meet the next leg of his transport
to go to his FUR EVER family. Look at that love :)

Max taking a walk and stretching his legs with the
transportor that would be taking him on the rest of the
way to his Fur Ever home.

Time to finish the trip and meet his Fur Ever family!
(Which by the way you can find Max on Facebook just look for KING MAX)

It's hard to be a foster. You bring a dog in and love it like part of the family, you get to know it, and love it, and become attatched. You could have that dog for 24 hours to several months. Sometimes we have "foster fails" which just means the foster decided to adopt the dog because they just "clicked" that's ok too! Just means that dog found it's FUR EVER home. I've fostered my fair share of sweet dogs and it's never easy to let them go. Just had one recently for barely 24 hours before he moved on to a rescue group, and it was hard to let him go, but I had to it was what was best for him.

One of my favorite pups I've fostered. Poor guy had a rough time.
Fostered for quite awhile, then adopted, got loose was reunited with his
owner, only to be given up again by the owner. Was back in foster for
a little while and has been adopted into a new Fur Ever home and is
doing fantastic.

Kolby another one of the little ladies I fostered over the
summer. Rescued from a busy parking lot as a very tiny
puppy that had just been dumped. She went off to a rescue group
where she was spayed, vetted and found a wonderful Fur Ever family.
Broke my heart to let her go she was just so tiny and we loved her so much!

The dogs in OUR shelter are in danger if the shelter gets FULL, or if they go "kennel crazy" which means they become aggressive while in the shelter becoming very territorial of their kennel area and a bite risk to humans and other dogs (and yes I've seen dogs become kennel crazy and actually bite someone and it's very sad!). If our shelter doesn't get full (which we work like crazy to keep that from happening). Then the dogs can pretty much hang out for however long it takes for them to get adopted. We don't like for them to stay there though which is why we ask for fosters (to help keep them from going kennel crazy), or get them into rescues to go else where to get adopted.

Did you know many rural shelters have a very short stray hold? Many rural shelters once that hold is up kill the dogs because they don't have room to further hold them and do not have the resources available to keep the dogs from dying. Did you know many rural shelters do not work with rescue groups or allow fosters? The dogs come in, they sit a few days and die. Many of those shelters do not allow people to adopt from them either. I am VERY THANKFUL our shelter is NOT like those.We have a few vets in the area and they do not like the idea of humanely euthenizing (which to ME means it's still murder only in a nicer way, which murder is murder). Local vets will not humanely euthenize a healthy shelter dog just because the shelter has no room for the dog. Now, personally I'm glad they have those morals, agains the needless killing of a dog that could be adopted. However, that puts the shelter in a bind. They then are full, have NO WHERE for any dogs to GO. They do not want the dogs to be gassed, so they hold out for as long as they can hoping they shelter will not get completely full. But it does. All that they can do, has been done. Networking, calling rescues, begging for fosters or adopters etc...there's no where for the dogs to go, and your only other choice to make room for the new dogs coming in....is to gas the ones that have been sitting there for weeks already that no one wants to adopt. Can you imagine being the one to make that decision?

Plus, humanely euthenizing a dog isn't free. It isn't cheap. Our shelter has a limited amount of money to work with, and our vets won't euthenize a healthy dog due to lack of shelter space. What do you do then?

Kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't agree in gassing dogs. Hate it, hate it hate it. I can assure all of our shelter volunteers feel the same way. It's awful. Several shelter volunteers recently got together and watched "One Nation Under Dog" a great documentary by HBO if you get the chance to watch it, please do. It shows dogs being gassed, talks about being responsible for your pet, discusses shelters, discusses rescues, discusses puppy mills too. You can also look up gassing shelters on You Tube and see what happens when you gas a dog, or do heart sticks, or whatever awful method they use to euthenize a dog. It isn't nice. It isn't pretty and dogs suffer. That's never right. Which is why we do our best to avoid it! It IS possible to go NO KILL and we hope to in the near future, HOWEVER we need the WHOLE communities HELP to make it possible!!!

The dogs keep coming in because people won't spay and neuter. They won't spay and neuter because they can't afford it because the prices are often too high for people living on a fixed income. That's where organizations like Project SNaP come in www.snapmo.org Also later on this year there will be a new Spay/Neuter clinic in Columbia, MO to help with low cost spaying and neutering of pets in this area of Missouri. I cannot wait for that!!!

It isn't easy. None of it. From looking into the eyes of a 4 legged furry soul staring back into your camera lens with the most trusting of eyes, fully trusting you that you will help save them.

My most recent foster, granted he was only with us
for about 24 hours but he made a PAWFECT impression!
He is off to a rescue group in Illinois! Wish Angus luck!

I will be forever haunted by the memory of a dog named Simba. He was part chow and part lab. Beatufiul, and scared. I photographed him, and it wasn't the most beautiful photo, but it got him out there. Unfortunately no one stepped forward to adopt him. He became kennel crazed and did bite someone and was unfortunately put down. This was just a few months before our shelter began to really connect with rescues and fosters. I remember telling Simba as I took his picture, and again every week when I came to visit him that I promised I would help get him out of there, that I was working to get him out. He just looked at me with the biggest most loving trusting brown eyes, very wise eyes. I think he knew he would never leave there, but he knew I cared and a kind pet and a kind word made him happy. I never got to say good bye to Simba. And even now I cry as I think about him.

Beautiful Sweet Simba. All he wanted was to be loved. How
could you NOT love that beautiful face? I will forever feel
like I let him down, I wasn't good enough to help him. I didn't
know then the things I know now, the resources, the rescues
the networking...I didn't know. I've learned so much since I met
Simba.

After I found out Simba had been put down, I was done. I didn't want to do this anymore. I couldn't. It was too much. Too painful. I couldn't bare the thought of any more dogs dying. I felt like it would be MY FAULT. Like their lives...literally are in my hands. The pictures I take of these dogs...could literally mean life or death. If they aren't a good photo (and it isn't easy getting a dog to sit still that is excited to be out of the kennel and wants to play and has never had any training to sit still and smile pretty for a picture) You have to be quick and move around, a LOT. You take LOTS and LOTS of pictures of the same dog over and over HOPING and PRAYING that you've gotten atleast a couple of good photos you can use. I know sometimes the pictures I post of a dog aren't THE best, but trust me, if you saw the others I had to choose from you'd see why I chose the ones I did! I try to get better pictures the next week (sometimes they calm down a bit by the next time I'm there). If a photo doesn't CAPTURE that dog, if you can't SEE that dog, look into it's eyes, or see a certain spark in that dog....chances are it will get looked over. That means the dog sits and sits and sits....and that means kennel craze can sit in, or the shelter can fill up and that dog...is first on the list to die. Not fair to the dog. So imagine how hard it is to photograph those dogs every week and pray you did it right to save a life!

This, is Denver. He reminds me a lot of Simba, he's not as big as Simba,
not as poofy...he's a different dog, but he still reminds me of him. I think it's
the eyes. The beatiful trusting loving forgiving eyes. Denver is looking for his
FUR EVER home.

I'm not a "professional" I've had no formal training (reading LOTS of photography tutorials, watching video tutorials, always playing with my camera, photographing every dog and child and person I can to get better and better all the time) Upgrading my camera when ever I can, getting tips and pointers from other photographers, and other shelter photographers, always learning. Always bettering to help the dogs.

I'm human, I'm a mom, I'm me. I don't always say what I mean, I sometimes say or do things that make others mad. I often open mouth insert foot, or talk first think later. I think it happens to all of us. I'm as guilty of miscommunication as the next person. When you work in doggy rescue you meet and talk with a LOT of people. A lot of people you only talk to online, some only on the phone, and a few you actually get to see face to face. Some you see face to face more than others and you get a closer connection to them and get to know each other better. Doesn't mean you favor one person over another, you just get to know some of these people better than others because you are able to see them more and communicate with them more. Personally anyone who is willing to help our shelter dogs in anyway that they can, are ok by me.

I've discovered this past year though, that dog rescuers have varying degrees. Some people take this VERY seriously (and it IS serious not saying you shouldn't take it seriously) but some people just...approach it differently than others. Some are very matter of fact and think there is one way and one way only to do things that "works", all other ways are wrong, and they aren't afraid to let you know how they feel about it.

I am very quickly realizing that the old saying "you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time" is totally true.

It's not uncommon to get messages or even hear second hand, little comments about how someone doesn't like something I do on the shelter Facebook page or they want me to change this or that just for them. Well guess what. It's not happening. I don't run the shelter page for any one person. I run the shelter page for the DOGS, and so far, none of the dogs have told me they are unhappy with the shelter page. If I were to change the page for every single person that didn't like something, I'd never get anything done for the dogs! They are the priority THEY are the focus. Sure something might work for someone on their doggy page, and that's great. Glad it works for you. It doesn't work for me. I'm happy, things run smoothly

I try to stay neutral on almost everything. Some days are a losing battle though. Some days it just doesn't seem like anything I do or say is right and ends up everyone is (or maybe only a couple of people) are mad at me. It's disheartening and I again start to question, am I even doing the the right thing? Is this where I'm "meant" to be? Then I come home and look into the eyes of my two loving dogs (both were saved from a life in a shelter where they probably would have been put down, we saved them BEFORE they hit the shelter, rescued from a back yard breeder, and one from neglectful abuseful owners). I realize, I AM where I'm meant to be. I look at my children and they see their Mommy helping dogs who can't help themselves. I'm setting an example for them. Showing them that you need to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. My daughter loves dogs, and I want to foster and nurture her love of animals. Who knows what great things she can do for dogs in the future.