A glimpse of emotional, physical (and worthwhile) commitment of adopting a shelter dog
By Heidi Dahms Foster
One of the ways people have found to help rescue dogs find their forever homes is to publish endearing photos that capture their unique personalities. Many times the person who highlights these distinctive canines is a volunteer photographer who has a heart for the animals that need a permanent, loving home. The concept has found great success in helping to place rescue pups, and some of these wonderful photos have found their way into coffee table books. Gazing at these quirky canines is a fun way to pass some time, and the books make great gifts!
One of these artists is Traer Scott, who began photographing shelter dogs in 2005 as a volunteer. Her first book, Shelter Dogs, was a huge success, and now she has followed up with a new batch of distinctive dogs in her book entitled, Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and Their Stories. Her stories and photos include Morrissey, a pit bull, who suffered from anxiety-related behaviors brought on by shelter life until adopted by a family with four children; Chloe, a young chocolate Lab mix, surrendered to a shelter by a family with allergies; Gabriel and Cody, retired racing greyhounds; and Bingley, a dog who lost his hearing during a drug bust but was brought home by a loving family that has risen to the challenge of living with a deaf dog.
Because Scott has included the stories with her photos, readers can learn about each dog and see how they experience their way into new and loving homes. Perhaps one of the best things about this book and others like it is that people who are thinking of adopting a shelter dog can get a little taste of the emotional and physical investment of that commitment.
Traer Scott and Princeton Architectural Press are donating a portion of the proceeds from Finding Home to two dog rescue organizations: Providence Animal Rescue League and Handsome Dan’s Rescue.
Finding Home is available at Amazon in both Kindle and hardcover.
