[ToyTank]

I also volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation centre (Wild Bird Fund). Primarily I do wildlife care, but I always bring my camera in case there is something interesting to photograph that would be useful to the WBF.

I've spoken to my vet's office and told them that if they have clients with pets that are terminally ill, I would be honoured to photograph their pets so that they have images to remember. It hasn't come up yet, but we'll see.

When I get better at pet portraits, I would like to offer pet portraits in exchange for a donation to the animal shelter.

This isn't something I've tried, but I took a class with a Mexican woman who did this. A couple of times on weekends, she has gone down to a park in her town that is frequented by a number of families with limited means. She has set up a backdrop outdoors and offered free portraits to families. She somehow managed to set up a printer nearby (not sure how she powered it) and offered instant prints. She said it was a great experience for practising portraiture and she got a lot of attention and some publicity for it. (She runs a graphic design studio and photography is her hobby - but the press coverage mentioned her business as well.)

Offering to do portraits of terminal pets is a great idea, and something I know people would appreciate. I'l look into a wildlife rehab center, and I was thinking I'd reach out a few other rescues. I have a soft spot for working animals, dogs and horses have done so much us, and IMO have evolved(bred) to bond with people.

I don't really have any artistic interest in wedding photography(I don't ALWAYS volunteer for selfish reasons) but I've seen so many wedding photos taken with cell phones. I've thought about going and asking the justice of the peace if I could leave my card for those eloping, or who can't afford a big ceremony.

[NicoleC]

The downside with photos of terminal pets is that by that time they often just don't look well. Plus having to tell someone their pet is dying is hard enough without tacking on a "but you can get a free portrait" gently as well.

My suggestion would be to offer photos of very senior pets instead. Pick whatever age defines senior for you; it'd probably be 18+ for a cat and 12+ for a dog for me. Some of my favorite departed pet photos are from their final year or so when they look like I remember them, but haven't yet fallen into decline and look ill.

[Racer X 69]

I don't really have any artistic interest in wedding photography(I don't ALWAYS volunteer for selfish reasons) but I've seen so many wedding photos taken with cell phones. I've thought about going and asking the justice of the peace if I could leave my card for those eloping, or who can't afford a big ceremony.

I would think that for someone such as yourself (and I share your sentiment here regarding wedding photos) that would be a great idea. Offering to do it free of charge, or for the cost of materials and printing sounds like a noble gesture!

[wildman]

On a more positive note:

Meet Happy. 21 years old and still going strong. Hyper Intelligent, neurotic, demanding, vocal, and absolutely loyal to me and me alone.
He's sort of the Woody Allen of cats.

Born in my bed 21 years ago and has, since then, never slept anywhere else but between myself and my wife. If I leave for a trip he disappears and is not seen until I return. Funny thing is that after all these years I can't sleep without him either.

Anyway unlike shelter animals he has had nothing but the best vet care, diet, absolute run of the whole house and of course unlimited affection and attention from us. He is not a pet he is family.

I hope that the beautiful animals that I see on this thread will eventually find the loving human companions Happy has found.

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Last edited by wildman; 02-28-2014 at 01:37 AM.

[frogoutofwater]

The downside with photos of terminal pets is that by that time they often just don't look well. Plus having to tell someone their pet is dying is hard enough without tacking on a "but you can get a free portrait" gently as well.

My suggestion would be to offer photos of very senior pets instead. Pick whatever age defines senior for you; it'd probably be 18+ for a cat and 12+ for a dog for me. Some of my favorite departed pet photos are from their final year or so when they look like I remember them, but haven't yet fallen into decline and look ill.

That is a much better idea. Thank you for the suggestion.

---------- Post added 02-22-14 at 11:44 AM ----------

On a more positive note:

Meet Happy. 21 years old and still going strong. Hyper Intelligent, neurotic, demanding, vocal, and absolutely loyal to me and me alone.
He's sort of the Woody Allen of cats.

Born in my bed 21 years ago and has, since then, never slept anywhere else but between myself and my wife. If I leave for a trip he disappears and is not seen until I return. Funny thing is that after all these years I can't sleep without him either.

Anyway unlike shelter animals he has had nothing but the best vet care, diet, absolute run of the whole house and of course unlimited affection and attention from us. He is not a pet he is family.

I hope that the beautiful animals that I see on this thread will eventually find the loving human companions Happy has found.

Happy is a beautiful cat. Does he have some Siamese or Tonkinese in him?

[ToyTank]

I just got a message that 3 of the dogs I photographed have been adopted this week, including Marty the Pitbull who has been there since August. Well I gotta feel good about that

[atupdate]

I just got a message that 3 of the dogs I photographed have been adopted this week, including Marty the Pitbull who has been there since August. Well I gotta feel good about that

Great news. There is no better feeling than when you see them adopted.

Tim

[wildman]

Happy is a beautiful cat. Does he have some Siamese or Tonkinese in him?

Both his father (Huey) and mother (Sarah) were Siamese. On the day they bred Happy his father came home off the prairie dragging a gigantic jack rabbit he had taken. His father was a muscular 15-16 pound cat that lived off the land while his mother was a delicate dainty house cat of no more than 8-9 pounds.

---------- Post added 02-22-14 at 03:44 PM ----------

I just got a message that 3 of the dogs I photographed have been adopted this week, including Marty the Pitbull who has been there since August. Well I gotta feel good about that

Indeed - you deserve to feel good about that. Especially about Marty. Hopefully now he will be able to live out his final years in comfort and love.

BTW I can't find Marty's pic - where is it?

[frogoutofwater]

I usually only photograph the rescue dogs and cats every other week (alternating with my other volunteer gig at the Wild Bird Fund), but I'm trying to build up a backlog of photos because I'm going to be away for close to a month. So I did another photography shift with Mighty Mutts this afternoon and I'll go see the cats tomorrow.

Here's a photo of Ace, who is not the most beautiful Beagle (mixed breed) in the world, and he's also 5 years old, and older dogs (even dogs as young as five) aren't as popular as younger dogs. But he's a sweetie, and I hope this photo shows that he loves a good time.

We had a warm Saturday, so I was able to photograph outside today, and that meant some of the larger dogs I haven't seen for a while, like Trotsy, were there.

[ToyTank]

Indeed - you deserve to feel good about that. Especially about Marty. Hopefully now he will be able to live out his final years in comfort and love.

BTW I can't find Marty's pic - where is it?

I didn't upload it to flickr, it's the last photo attached in this post

My photos are on their facebook page too that one of marty wasn't the best but I wanted to show how playful he was. A couple look very different on my machine than on their website, I figure compression in transit and upload?

[frogoutofwater]

Since I will be away for over three weeks, I tried to photograph as many of the cats at the shelter as possible and to upload several photos of each, so that the shelter has enough photos to post on FB etc while I'm away. I wanted to stay and play with all of them, but I had to get home and pack. Our kitties know something is up (they don't like seeing suitcases) and are acting up a bit. Thankfully, we have some friends of my sister's staying at our place and our cats took to them immediately.

Here are several photos from today's session: Little Panda (it's hard to tell in this photo, but she's missing an ear), Chaplin (with the knitted toy) and Jeremy:

[Racer X 69]

I just got a message that 3 of the dogs I photographed have been adopted this week, including Marty the Pitbull who has been there since August. Well I gotta feel good about that

That has to be a great feeling knowing that you were instrumental in helping these animals. You are a good person helping out in your community.

Three cheers for Levi!

[dansamy]

I just got a message that 3 of the dogs I photographed have been adopted this week, including Marty the Pitbull who has been there since August. Well I gotta feel good about that

Yay! That's great validation that you're doing a good thing for the critters.

[atupdate]

Found this article on the interweb. This is why we do what we do.

How Single Photographs Are Saving The Lives Of Shelter Animals Across The Country

Tim

[frogoutofwater]

Around midnight on Saturday, one of Mighty Mutts' dogs (Freddie) slipped his collar in Morningside Park in NYC, where his foster mom was walking him. He is shy and fearful and he ran away before they could catch him. His foster mom and dad had an agonizing night and day as they searched the park and surrounding area to find him. Thankfully, they were able to tap into a network of Mighty Mutts volunteers, other rescue organizations, Animal Care & Control, etc. They were also lucky to have a very recent photo of him - one I took earlier that day with Freddie showing off his new haircut, so they posted it quickly on FB and also posted a LOST DOG notice that could be downloaded and printed. (It's far from being my best work, but it does accurately represent his appearance and sweet personality.)

It turns out that a couple had found him that night and taken him home, and he was reunited late the following day with his foster parents for lots and lots of cuddling.

His foster mom mentioned that one of the worst moments in that long of day of searching was visiting Animal Care & Control in NYC. When you go there to look for a lost dog, they take you through every room and have you look in every cage. She said there was room after room of abandoned dogs, all desperately in a need of a loving home.