The winner and cover model for their upcoming April Pet Issue is Vin Vin, a 23-lb. rescue cat who lives by his own rules. This cat is so awesome! He’s mellow and mysterious, part Garfield, part Sumo wrestler . Oh, and did I mention, twenty three pounds?? Anyone who says they aren’t a “cat person”, hasn’t met this cat! The four runners up were just as photogenic and fun to photograph – Wonton, a playful and slobbery Sharpei, Rudy an adorable and feisty little Boston Terrier, Gabbie a sweet and spunky little chihuhua (1/6th the size of Vin Vin!), and Ginger, a beautiful calico with piercing green eyes. I was also lucky enough to photograph their siblings and have included some shots of Gracie, Cassandra, Mac, Joanie, Darlene and Fraidy Cat here as well. And coincidentally, every single one of our “Show Us Your Pets” winners and their friends just happen to be RESCUE ANIMALS – what great ambassadors for adoptable pets! To find your own adoptable pet, visit your local animal shelter or rescue, or search online at Petfinder.com.

Get your own copy of the magazine, due out on April 1st, to see our favorite pictures of Vin Vin, Wonton, Rudy, Gabbie and Ginger, not shown here.

My Furry Valentine, Cincinnati’s First Ever Pet Adoption was a huge success!
The event was held on Saturday, February 11, 2012, which was officially declared
“Pet Adoption Day in the City of Cincinnati” by Mayor Mark Mallory. Sponsored  
by flexi,Alcott and PhoDographer, hundreds of lives were saved in a single day!

More than 1,800 adoptable animals from 60 area shelters and rescue groups
participated in this inaugural event with 305 dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, 
rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and gerbils convened under one roof for the Main Event
at the U.S. Headquarters of flexi, all in hopes of finding a home to call their own.

A total of 261 animals were adopted, 161 of them from one of the 40 participating
satellite adoption locations. More than $75,000 in donated gifts and prizes were
awarded to adopters and visitors alike, and each animal adopted at the Main Event
in West Chester got to walk the red carpet with their new family!

It was quite an exciting day for the 1,700 visitors and volunteers who came out to 
support pet adoption efforts in the Tri-State.

Original Post:

I’m kind of on a little hiatus from photography at the moment, with my attentions focused almost entirely on an event that I’m organizing, and hosting, along with flexi USA and their newest brand, Alcott Afoot. The event is a Super Adoption, and with more than 1,600 adoptable animals registered to be available at one of our numerous locations around the city, My Furry Valentine will be Greater Cincinnati’s largest companion animal adoption event and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it! If you follow my blog, you already know that I’m just as much an animal advocate as I am a pet photographer, and in fact, my foray into pet photography began a decade ago as a home-grown project to profile homeless animals and promote adoption.

I’ve always wanted to do something big for animals in my community and have dedicated many years as a Board Member of Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals - focused on the area of spay/neuter as a way to end the euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals. For the longest time, I felt that this was the best use of my time and talents, as it got right to the root of the problem – stopping animals from reproducing and bringing more animals into a world that doesn’t want them. I saw my friends dedicating their lives working with their shelter and rescue affiliations, focused on finding homes for what was a never-ending supply of homeless animals. Every single animal they encountered deserved to be loved, cared for and to be saved. But for every animal they did save, there were countless others that they simply couldn’t. It was a depressing scenario and I chose to focus on the front end of the problem (spay/neuter), while working with those who dealt the the results of the problem, “overpopulation“. I had heard the phrase, “We’ll never adopt our way out of the problem” many times, and I believed it. I focused my photography efforts on telling stories of adopted animals, those who had been saved. Those who were no longer at risk and who’s success stories could serve as positive inspiration for more people to consider adoption. Eventually, I began helping my rescue friends photograph animals in foster, those who didn’t yet have a home, but were also no longer at risk of “euthanasia”. I just didn’t have the strength or the courage to work with the ones at risk, the ones who might not be saved, the animals on “death row”.

Over time I became more involved in the animal welfare community. While my heart still ached for the animals, I grew stronger and began to come to the realization that whether or not I had the courage to work with “death row” animals, the animals’ situations didn’t change. So I had to admit to myself that my reluctance was about me and my own feelings. It had nothing to do with the animals, and keeping myself at “arms length” from the problem didn’t change the situation for the animals one bit. Obviously. It just meant it was a problem I didn’t have to think about. Animals continued to die in our local shelters whether or not it was something top of mind for me. They died because their parents hadn’t been spayed or neutered. They died because shelters weren’t open at convenient hours and in convenient locations, and in many cases, people who had had bad experiences with a shelter in the past weren’t willing to put themselves in that situation again. They died because no one came to adopt them. And they died because not enough people got involved and did something, anything, to change the status quo. So I decided it was time and I would have to do my part to help change the outcome. The obvious choice for me was to lend my photography skill to the effort.

Early last year, I decided I was finally going to help my friends who were working with death row animals. I had already been photographing adoptables from Recycled Doggies, Stray Animal Adoption Program and other local groups. I would photograph their animals and provide those images to the groups so they could use them on their websites and Petfinder profiles. But I never before had ventured with them actually into the shelters, selecting the ones they were going to save – and looking into the eyes of the ones they couldn’t. That first experience working with my friends to pull death row dogs at a rural shelter couldn’t have been more emotionally draining. First, there was this dog we lovingly named, Chunk. And I just could not get him out of my mind. Eventually we got him out within our deadline (which was initially less than 48 hours), as we did EVERY SINGLE DOG IN THE SHELTER. Then, just a week later, tragedy struck in the way of a house fire of Recycled Doggies’ founder, Shannon DeBra, that took the lives of thirteen dogs, including two of her own, as well as Jumpin’ Jack and Trigger, who we had just pulled from the shelter. It couldn’t have been a more tragic outcome following the high of knowing we were able to save all 14 dogs a week earlier. To hear more about this story, please read this post.

What I learned in this experience, however, is that the power of a group of dedicated people, selfless and tireless working on behalf of animals, CAN SAVE LIVES. Because we did it. We proved that a collaboration of people working together toward a common goal of getting animals out of shelters and into homes, foster and rescue, can end the killing. Because for five months running, we achieved a “no kill” status*. Every week. And we did it until we were “no longer welcome at the shelter”. Because for this particular shelter, it was apparently too difficult, and too much work, to open its doors and allow rescues in to have access to the animals. To promote them far and wide. To receive incoming inquiries about animals in their care. To take a risk and have some faith, that if we just gave a dog another 12 hours, it could mean the difference of life or death. And to work toward a goal of saving lives, instead of simply being comfortable with the status quo of saving some while many others died. To learn more about this experience, please read my post, “It Takes a Village“.

While I’m still on the board of UCAN, who runs the region’s only local low-cost, high-volume spay/neuter clinic for cats and dogs, I’ve since learned more about the No-Kill Movement, and have been motivated to focus more of my attention on the adoption end of the equation. Because what I learned is this – we CAN adopt our way out of the problem. As a nation, an estimated 6-8 million animals enter our local shelters, but only half of them make it out alive. So we know that 3-4 million animals in our country are euthanized each year, while at the same time, TWENTY ONE MILLION homes will open their doors to a new pet this year*. These numbers speak volumes, and were a huge wake-up call for me. Locally, those numbers translate to our 33,000 animals that are euthanized each year. And based on national statistics, we can expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 115,000 Cincinnati area residents to welcome a new pet into their family in that same timeframe.

115,000 Cincinnatians  looking for pets while 33,000 animals in the same community die in our shelters because there is no adopter for them? It makes no sense to me.

I truly believe that if the public were better educated about adoption options, overcame the common misperception that there is something inherently wrong with an animal in a shelter (and realized instead the truth that in most cases, the animal is simply a victim of unfortunate circumstances), understood the implications of adopting and the ramifications of not adopting, rescues and shelters worked together more collaboratively to get animals out of the shelter system and into foster and rescue, and people were given better opportunities to adopt, then we would see a huge impact in the numbers of animals adopted and the numbers of animals euthanized. In fact, Maddies Fund and the Humane Society of the United States have told us, “By reaching a subset of the population uncertain about where they’ll obtain their next dog or cat and convincing them that an animal shelter is the best source, we can end the euthanasia of homeless dogs and cats in this country”.

And that is exactly why I am organizing a Super Adoption in Cincinnati. To reach those people. To give them a reason, and an opportunity, to think of adoption as their first choice when considering bringing a new pet into their lives. And in the hopes of finding homes for hundreds of animals in a single day.

Please come out to My Furry Valentine and help us promote the event. You can visit our website at www.MyFurryValentine.com, and find us on Facebook.

*No Kill is a target of saving every healthy, adoptable animal. National statistics and the No Kill Advocacy Center tell us this number is approx. 90% of shelter intake – all but the gravely ill and vicious (dangerous) dogs. To learn more about the No-Kill Equation and the programs advocated to end the euthanasia of our shelter animals, visit the No Kill Advocacy Center online, or get one of Nathan Winograd’s highly acclaimed books on the subject, “Redemption” and “Irreconcilable Differences“.

**********

I’m a little late in my annual holiday campaign for a local charity, but who knew that the Twelve Days of Christmas actually begins on Christmas Day? Actually, I don’t mean to insult any of you because you are probably better educated on the subject than I, but I have to admit that I was quite surprised to learn, when researching to find out if I needed to launch my campaign on December 12th or December 13th, that I was about twelve days early!

Today, the twelve days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world, but this festive period is always marked by the giving of gifts. So in the spirit of the twelve days of giving that many of us are accustomed to, I am asking the PhoDographer community to join me in making a gift to one of my favorite animal charities, the United Coalition for Animals, and join us in working toward a world without euthanasia.

UCAN offers low-cost spay/neuter for Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. Since opening their doors in the spring of 2007, UCAN has performed more than 38,000 surgeries. Just think of how many kittens and puppies have not been born into a world that doesn’t want them, where they would likely end up a sad statistic – one of the 3-4 million animals who die in our shelters each year.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation toward spay/neuter in the Cincinnati area, or to a clinic or shelter in your own community. PhoDographer will match all donations to UCAN, up to $1200. My goal is to raise $100 per day for the next twelve days, for a total of $2,400. That’s spay/neuter for nearly 70 cats or more than 30 dogs! Gidget, Morgan, Penelope, Bella, Sophie, Atlas, KitKat, Bella, Ren, Axle & friends thank you!  CLICK HERE to contribute, and don’t forget to mention “PhoDographer” in the Comments section along with your contribution.

Thank you for helping me work toward a more compassionate world.

Last year, I was so incredibly grateful for the opportunity we had over the Thanksgiving weekend to spend some very personal and private moments with my father, after he had been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer the month prior. At that point, we had no idea where things were headed. He was still strong and courageous, and fighting the cancer with everything he had in him. We were hoping that he would respond to a special experimental treatment reserved for patients who met his profile. He did not. And then when he was with us that week, there were signs that he had begun to take a turn for the worse. Still, I am thankful we were together and for the ability to pick up on the subtle clues that something was not right. I certainly wish that I had been wrong when defying his doctors. But I know my dad well enough to know his personality and behaviors, and when I sensed something was amiss, I knew enough to persist. To push for tests I was advised were not necessary. To challenge medical professionals even though it was awkward and uncomfortable. To ask questions that seemed stupid or redundant. To understand the true nature of his condition in order to help prepare us all for what lie ahead. My worst fears were confirmed after a trip to the ER, and we laid him to rest just eight weeks later. Still, I am eternally grateful for those days we had together.

As I sit here now, I wish nothing more than to turn back the hands of time. Don’t we all, at some time in our lives. But short of having him here with us again, I can be thankful for the time we had and the memories we will always have. And I am truly thankful that I took the advice of others and documented our journey so that I would have that vivid memory in words and images that was created in the midst of it all. However raw it still feels to read my words a year later, I am so thankful that I took the time to put my thoughts and emotions somewhere where I could revisit them, (Grateful).

A year later, I am still thankful for that weekend in November, 2010. And to my husband and friends who gave me the strength and courage to make that weekend dream a reality, for you cannot imagine what truly went on behind the scenes for a daughter to have just three days alone with her father. I’m thankful for the perspective I gained through that incredibly difficult journey, the bonds amongst my siblings that were strengthened as a result of our shared experience, and the renewed appreciation I have for my family and friends.

Sitting here today, I’m thankful simply for the mild temperature on this winter day, just like we were blessed with a year ago when helping my father up the stairs. I’m more thankful than you could ever know that my family is together, that my boys are the best of friends despite the occasional bickering, and that they have grown up truly knowing the love of an animal, that my dogs cuddle together in a single dog bed even though we have two, that our kids still believe in the miracle of Santa, marvel at Christmas lights, enjoy Christmas Carols and are old enough to appreciate the joy of giving, that Chris allows the dogs to sleep with us (occasionally) even though he is allergic, that our kids make us laugh because they think its funny to impersonate a British accent, that my six-year old knit me a scarf using chopsticks, that in this day and age of electronic media my boys still like to stare me down over a deck of cards and say, “I’ll destroy you!”, that they have vivid memories of their Papa that we will fight to keep alive, that our lives allow us to pursue our passions and make a difference in our communities, that we’ve had a life together for nearly 14 years.

And each year I see my friendships grow, too, and my circle of friends expand through my network of friends, collegues and clients who care about animals as much as I do. Today we are enjoying a home cooked vegan meal prepared especially for us by a wonderful friend who we didn’t even know a year ago. Oh, how life changes in the course of a year. The ups, the downs, the good and the bad. It’s all life and it all molds us in ways we can’t even imagine. I am thankful for every single day and for every person in my circle. Thank you to my family, friends, colleagues, clients and furry friends who make me who I am and allow me to do what I love to do. Thank you, Dad, for being you, and for teaching me so much about life, love, honor and dignity.

For all of you, I am grateful.

I’ve done more events this season than ever and I’ve gotten in over my head in several other animal related projects. As you may know, I’ve been working with the Boone County Animal Shelter on their No-Kill Initiative, and I recently rejoined the Board of Directors of what I believe to be the most important animal charity in the region, the United Coalition for Animals. I’ve launched a new partnership with Flexi USA’s Dog Walking with Alcott section on Dogster and I’m co-sponsoring a citywide Valentine’s Day Adoption Event, currently in the works. I just wrapped up my one and only annual people photography project – school photos for The Cincinnati Waldorf School, (all 1,874 photos, yikes!), and I photographed five dogs for this year’s Calendar for a Cause Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis. (Woo hoo! PhoDographer client Elle is this year’s Cover Girl!) I’ve joined HeARTs Speak, an amazing network of artists who donate their time and talents to volunteer efforts, “Working together to promote deeper understanding for the voiceless”. And I’ve even begun work on updating the Cincinnati Dog Parks site, which is long overdue! And while I’ve got your attention, I must put in a plug for the Grand Opening event at Pet Wants North that I’ll be attending all day tomorrow. I’ve got lots of rescue dogs still to post from recent weeks as well as client sessions to share. I’m hoping to play some catch up over the upcoming holiday weekend. It’s keeping me very busy, but it’s all good.

My latest project is almost ready and I wanted to share some images of the newest set of coasters that just went into production today. I just love, love seeing these come to life on the beautiful marble tiles! They always look better than I could ever imagine, and I’m so excited to deliver these to my clients next week. If you’ve been one of my clients patiently waiting on your coasters – thank you, and please know that they are on their way! I will contact you just as soon as your orders are ready. I promise!

I will be offering discounted, no-minimum order coasters again in conjunction with my final Moochie & Co. Pet Photo Days of the year, (December 6th). The recipient of December’s fundraiser will be Animal Friends Humane Society. Orders must be in by Thursday 12/8 – hoping, but not guaranteed, for Holiday delivery. If you are interested in having coasters or magnets made of existing Phodographer photographs, please contact me ASAP.

I love that Elisabeth is using her business as a platform to support the rescues that are so important to her! I’ll be offering free pet portraits and Cincinnati’s favorite animal communicator, Donetta Zimmerman, will be doing pet readings. Donations will be accepted on behalf of Elisabeth’s favorite local animal charities. I hope you’ll join us!

Hazel, looking out the front window.

Sam had a rough start in life. He lived chained up in a trailer park for the first year of his life. He’s housebroken and crate trained, and looking for someone to call his own. Sam is a 1.5-year old, spunky boy, great with other dogs. He’s extremely loyal and protective his person, and a total bed hog. He’s great on a leash and would  love someone to take long walks with!

Sweet Shimmy recently had a litter of 8 pups. She’s such a frail little girl, she never should have been bred. She was a great mom to them all but still has a puppy personality. She’s now ready for someone to take care of her now.

Here’s Norris, sleeping on Connor’s head!

Goldie loves giving hugs. She’s extremely affectionate, docile and a great couch potato companion. She does great with other dogs her size, loves to play and is good with commands.

Goldie again.

Missy is a very sweet girl. She’s fantastic with other dogs, great with kids and loves everyone. She would make an outstanding watchdog and loves to play!

Nala is Danny’s dog, one of the founders of Adore-A-Bull. She was one of the dogs of inspiration for forming Adore-A-Bull Rescue, not available for adoption.

And here are just a few cool items you’ll find at the Pet Wants North store.