For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.
For adoption information on this dog and other dogs (and cats and other animals), please visit Toronto Animal Services.
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A request
The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.
The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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What a handsome dog! I agree with the idea of you doing a book -- and I'd love to have it include information on what happens to each dog (hope that is only good news!). I often wonder, looking back over previous entries, what became of them. Hope they all got great homes.....
Hi Cathrine, pretty well every dog that goes into adoption at TAS-S gets adopted. The only ones who don't are the very few sad cases who get extremely sick for some reason or other and can't be saved. This happens maybe once a year to my knowledge.
Hi Fred - I'll buy your book too! And I agree that there should be stories. As much as I love looking at the photos you do now, I get a little extra happy when I see you've written something.
Fred I have a similar book on shelter dogs in Vegas which you could borrow to take a look at if you would like. It is black and white photography with mostly head shots. It is a very poignant book with footnotes at the back about what happened to each dog....I tried not to read most of it...too sad.
Fred, the idea of doing a book is fantastic...right up your alley! I can already picture in my head and you bet I would buy a copy - one for myself and one for everyone else I know! Come see me if you want to further discuss..
Mary Lou, Supervisor TAS south
I agree, Fred's photos would make an awesome book, and with online on-demand publishing you don't have to worry as much about overhead (or even finding a publisher). I'd buy a bunch.
I have both the Traer Scott and Melissa McDaniels books. What I don't like about the layout is that the text is at the back - I want to know the dog's story while I'm looking at him. Melissa photographed only rescued dogs whose stories were volunteered by their families - so you see only what they look like today. I think what is potentially compelling about the TAS dogs is the possibility of showing them before and after adoption, something people are always fascinated by. I love the before and after pictures of the little lhasas, and I think the series photographs of the shih tsu are unlike anything anybody else has done. A book or postcards done with the right sponsorship could be a fund-raiser but also a great way to educate people about shelter dogs.
Thanks for all your encouragement and compliments. The thing with self-published photobooks is that they are actually quite expensive for what you get compared to mass produced, large format photo books you can get in a bookstore so I'm not sure how well a limited run book like that would sell. I'll look into it some more - because it would actually be a fun project - but it may make more sense to print and sell cards when it comes to shelter fund raising.
What you need for something like that is a public spirited partner - either a publisher, or a big retailer who throws in some cash to offset your costs and then agrees to market the product as a way of giving back to the community. That's why I said it would take a lot of time and energy - finding the sponsorship to make that happen. I do think for these things, though, that there is a 6 degrees of separation thing, where you can make the right connections. But it takes time and a lot of work. BTW I love the pointer puppy series below and if I had a spot in my home, I would be driving to Toronto!