Volunteering with a dog rescue group, like Sit With Me, is rewarding in many ways. You constantly learn about dog behaviour, you learn to work with local shelters, you sometimes foster, you sometimes laugh and you sometimes cry. It can be very emotional but incredibly rewarding. I wanted to sign off this year with a collage of many of the dogs that I photographed. Some indoor studio type shots, some outdoors and others are intake photos. Intake photos are so hard because you have little time, small assessment room, no flash (so you're cranking your ISO) and sometimes an opportunity to shoot just outside the building which is never very pretty and always in full noon sun. These photos matter though. They matter because sometimes, without a decent photo, dogs get passed up.

To me, this is what matters. Helping the dogs that have done nothing wrong but often had irresponsible owners. Much of the public doesn't realize that not having your pet spayed or neutered, having it roam, unwanted litters, or throwing up $400 puppies on Kijiji contributes to the reason why many dogs and many cats don't make it out of municipal shelters ALIVE.

Please look at the faces you see. They were all helped in one way or another and everyone of them were given a chance.

Please consider adopting for your next pet. There are amazing mixes out there or if you want a specific breed, there are breed rescues as well, just look around or ask me. I would be more than happy to point you in direction.

Shelter pets or rescue pets aren't broken. Some may have some challenges but many have just had unfortunate timing and circumstances.

All the best in the new year