Johannesburg Shelter dog photography
Promoting shelter dog adoption is something I’m incredibly passionate about. There’s often a stigma surrounding dogs that are at shelters. That somehow there’s something wrong with them, or that they are guaranteed to be problematic and troubled. More often than not, they’re just perfect, but because they’re not a specific breed, they’re not terribly appealing to potential adopters.
The dogs that you find at a shelter are not usually pedigrees, they’re mutts and because they are mutts, they need a little extra help to look cute. That’s where photographing them out of a shelter environment and really capturing their personalities comes in. To quote Samuel L Jackson’s character Jules, in Pulp Fiction, when it comes to dogs ‘personality goes a long way’.
Boss Dog Food and I teamed up once again at the end of October last year to help 13 Sandton SPCA dogs find their forever homes. I shot the portraits and BOSS pledged to sponsor the first month’s supply of food for each of our models.
In our first collaboration (find that here) I photographed the dogs in the same style as my BLACK SERIES portraits, this time we decided to switch things up with bright coloured backgrounds for boys and girls.
At any given moment you’ll find a huge variety of dogs at a shelter. Big, small, young, old, there’s a dog for everyone. Some of the dogs I photographed had been found as strays, some were unwanted, some had been surrendered due to emigration or a change in circumstance and some were simply unlucky to end up at the pound.
I’ve been photographing shelter dogs looking for homes in South Africa since 2010 and it’s safe to say that adopting a dog has become somewhat of a trend (thank goodness). Remember that when you adopt a dog, you’re saving two lives; the one of the dog you adopt and the one that takes the space that your adoption freed up. Feel free to polish your halo and congratulate yourself on being a fabulous human at this point.
At the time of writing this, ten out of our 13 dogs have been adopted. Jo-Jo, Aspen and Tingo are still awaiting a family to call their own and Boots’ adoption is hopefully about to go through.
If you’d like to have a look at some happy dogs (and happy new families) check out the Sandton SPCA Facebook page here for photos of each of the dogs leaving to go to their new homes.
Could you consider adopting a shelter dog rather than buying one if you have space for a new four legged friend?
If pedigree dogs are more your thing than mutts, a quick google will lead you to the breed specific rescue organisations in your area.
Remember, if you do adopt a dog from a shelter, to give them plenty of time to settle in. It can take up to a month for a dog whose been stuck in a kennel to adjust to family life. With patience and guidance, you’ll soon have a well adjusted new family member.
For those of you that are wondering how on earth we got 13 shelter dogs to sit still enough to take these portraits, have a look at our behind the scenes video below.
Sandton SPCA is one of the dog charities that I choose to support because they are a vital part of the community. If your dog gets lots, they are very likely to end up at an SPCA. If you suspect someone is being cruel to an animal, you can call your local SPCA. They rely on donations to keep helping animals stay safe and looked after. Find out more about Sandton SPCA here.