adopt
Malibu and Boz are two energetic males looking for a new home. Then we have the beautiful Meli & Delilah whom are also looking for a human to love them forever. Please contact Sit With Me for more information and see if you're a good match to any of these cuties.
Moving day is approaching in Quebec. The province is quite restrictive for rentals that allow pets. It seems to be more and more difficult every year. We have our frustrations with the public as well as many dogs get either left behind in the actual apartment (sometimes not being found by the landlord until days later) or genuinely not trying hard enough to find new accommodations that allow pets. I try not to be judgemental, as you never know the whole story but there is definitely a large problem with the accountability and responsibility towards their pets.
Some of the pretty faces below are dogs that just got pulled from our local shelter. Some have been with their foster homes for a short time, and a few for a bit longer. Foster homes are vital to Sit With Me's programme. It allows the dog to 'decompress' after having massive changes in their lives. It allows them to become comfortable, settle and allow for a more accurate behaviour and medical assessment. With this knowledge, there is more success in adoption placement.
The hardest dogs to place are pit bull type dogs. They cannot be adopted in Ontario, due to breed specific legislation, and therefore our main province is exempt. We adopt out to responsible homes in Quebec, but even in that province there are municipal bylaws that restrict the 'type' as well. We partner with Pit Bulls for Life in Edmonton Alberta. When possible, we facilitate transport via airline to the rescue for either adoption or homes they have ready to foster - and being allowed a larger audience to meet and view the adoptables.
You will see many pittie types on this site, that I photograph. I try so hard for them because there are so many whom are wonderful and friendly and have been looked over, not because of anything they have ever done, but because of the publics perception (largely due to 30+ years of ignorant media reporting).
They are ... just ... dogs. They are absolutely strong ... but so are many other breeds, some even stronger. A dangerous dog is dangerous due to exposure in it's life, sometimes genetic but more often by mistreatment. It's not dangerous because of what it looks like.
Had a visit to a local shelter last weekend and got to photograph some sweet dogs. Within a week, the Husky and the Beagle are with now with Sit With Me Rescue (The Shepherd-mix is already with Sit With Me), the Boxer-mix is with Valley Animal Rescue, the brindle Terrier-mix is with the Montreal SPCA and the Chihuahua is with BARK Rescue. Thank you to all the rescues for helping out and taking these dogs.
Please consider adoption.
We have some new faces at Sit With Me. I sent a message out to current fosters the other week to see if they could swing by my place with their dog for some updated profile shots. Foster homes are vital to most rescues, without them .. they would not be able to save the dogs that they do. Fosters help shape the behaviour of the dog, give them a loving and safe environment and prepare them for their new life, a better one.
Thank you to all the fosters who help make Sit With Me a rescue worth volunteering for.
I decided to set up a photoshoot day for Sit With Me on Sunday. I knew a lot of the puppies, currently in their care, were getting ready for adoption and wanted to get some photos ready for their online posts. Last fall, with overlapping ages, some by a few weeks .. some by days, Sit With Me found themselves with about 37 puppies. Three of those litters had no nursing mother. A lot of hard work and dedication was provided by foster homes. In the next few weeks Sit With Me will be posting the puppies and trying to find forever homes for them.
Along with the puppies, I did a last minute call out to any other fosters (no puppiness required) who needed a photo as well. In the end, I photographed over 31 dogs. A few more will trickle in this week but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supports my work and to spread the word if you know anyone looking to adopt a dog into their home.
There are many dogs waiting in shelters that still need help. Sit With Me is volunteer based so dogs that pass assessment can only be moved into homes once there is room. Please help promote responsible adoption and check out Sit With Me's current roster of available dogs.
The majority of my photography work is towards helping dogs get noticed and adopted, quicker. I am incredibly proud of working with Sit With Me and helping them out in any way I can. Volunteering for an animal rescue can be emotionally draining. There are incredibly happy times and there are times that just literally deflates you. I know of photographers who suffer from post-traumatic stress from the experiences they have witnessed and photographed. I, fortunately, have not had that experience. I find the hard times are great motivators for helping out even more.
When I get told my Sit With Me coordinators that my photos have helped get an otherwise overlooked dog get adopted .. mission accomplished. It's always the best news of the day and that's my purpose.
Here are some of the faces of 2015. Some are photos taken at various shelters when we have gone to do behaviour assessments. Those dogs might have gone to other rescues in the end but I have included them in this collage because it is Sit With Me who sends their volunteers to do the assessments, write up the notes, send out to other rescues with photos and often coordinate the transportation.
When I look at the faces of these dogs, I am thankful they have volunteers with Sit With Me and other rescues/individuals who look out for them every day.