"I'm from Eugene, Oregon but I've lived in Florida for over 5 years now. Eventually I hope to go back to Oregon. I have a degree in photography from the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies (the entire reason I had moved to Florida was to attend that program)."
"No Shelter Here are portraits of dogs in the animal shelter environment with text stating the reason they were abandoned by their owners. The text came from various sources, their intake paperwork, what the owners told the people at the shelter when dropping them off, and a few are a list from shelter workers of ridiculous justifications people have given them I found online. I wanted things from across the board, not just significant to that particular shelter but to our culture."
"I think it started as an emotional outlet for me because I have been volunteering at shelters on and off since I was a teenager, but the experience is very draining. I continued the project because their story needs to be told. People need to understand the reality of what they are doing when they abandoned their pets and the general population needs to see that these dogs are not broken or inadequate just because someone else didn’t want them. That the dog was scared, confused, and most likely put to death. That I don’t care how inconvenient they became- when you take a dog in it is for life, not just as long as the dog is convenient or fun."
"Be careful what you teach your children when you abandon a family member who has grown inconvient to keep, because ultimately you are teaching them how to treat you in your old age."
People are terrible.
ReplyDeleteFirst- thank you so much for commenting!
DeleteYou are not wrong. And I deeply hope that if enough people see this series it will save some dogs from being abandoned or steer others toward adoption rather than buying a pet. Not to repeat myself too much but my goal here really is not to break the hearts of people that love their dogs.
The people that worked in this shelter cared- far more than these dog's family members- and it took a huge toll on them going to work every day. I could not ever do it as a job. But I could see the pain in them and their empathy battling with their desire not to get attached to every single dog and cat coming in. It helped me finish this project seeing that. There is a Mr. Rogers quote I really like and it reminds me of that experience.
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world."
Wow, these are really powerful. As a shelter volunteer myself, I applaud you for capturing the essence of what we see and hear every day. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI wiwh we had shelters here The same way that many other contries do, because I want to help out, but hen again, it is so wonderful that we dont need them 💓💓
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