Tuesday, 3:21 PM – Little “Muffin” was picked up stray by one of the Walton County Animal Control officers on August 25, 2017. She didn’t look too plump, but was certainly producing some milk like she was going to have some puppies. 

She sat in the shelter all weekend and surprisingly no owner came forward, even with her lost reporte posted all over the web. We even gave her one extra day just to be sure before letting her go off to rescue on August 29, 2017.

I did a quick portrait of her in the exam room while doing her heartworm test just before the rescue picked up this sweet girl. 

williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Friday, 9:13 AM – what an adorable little boy! How could it possibly be that nobody wanted him, or never came looking for him when he ran off?
 
“Nigel” was brought in to the shelter as a stray on August 25, 2017. Being a Friday, I didn’t want him to sit all weekend without a chance at being noticed. So I grabbed the adorable little guy and went out back for a photoshoot.
 
I put him down on a makeshift pallet table where I put my lenses and other stuff during a photo session. He “walked the plank” off the side of the table to get closer to me. When he perched himself there, I couldn’t resist the shots. Perfect location! On the ground, he would have run all around my feet making a photo impossible.  

williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Friday, 9:06 AM -  A fellow county employee called the shelter for help. Her brother had passed away about two months ago and his dog, Sweet Boy, was left at the property all alone. Other family members had been saying they would take him in, but 8 weeks later there he sat. She had been going daily to feed him but didn’t think it fair to sit at a vacant house.

He was brought to the shelter on August 24, 2017. He certainly did live up to his name! He was a great dog. Perhaps he wasn’t as attractive as a purebred Golden Retriever, but he had the personality of one. He was so happy to finally be around people again. And he loved playing with other dogs.
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Unfortunately, he tested heartworm positive. But his personality outweighed that strike and he still found a home! 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Friday, 9:22 AM - “Hank” and his two super-cute sisters were brought to the Walton County Animal Control shelter on August 25, 2017. I only had time to post some quick shots on the website, but knew their adorable faces would be enough to attract adopters over the weekend. I did have time to get some outdoor shots of “Hank”, but didn’t have time to edit and blog them until after he was adopted.
 
“Hank” ended up making one lady very happy. When applying to adopt Hank, she wrote, “The reason I want a little dog is I lost my husband in 2002 and I have been so lonely.  My best friend has a little dog that she adores and it has brought her so much joy and companionship. That is what I need. I was set to adopt a sweet little dog at another animal shelter and the day before I could go pick him up they called and advised he had cancer in his mouth.  Their vet said it had a very large mass and it looked like cancer and most likely had spread in the little dog’s body.  At that point I just could not take the little dog because of the expense and getting to attached to only lose him to cancer. I had already went out and spent $300 getting everything I thought I needed to properly care for him.” 
 
She came and picked up “Hank” on Monday, August 28. She was elated and nearly brought to tears standing in the shelter lobby as this tiny pup was put into her hands. She sent a follow up email the next day, again expressing her elation.  Some days are very much worth it! 

​Wednesday, 9:07 AM – “Lucy” was a happy senior Beagle that was picked up by one of the animal control officers on August 18, 2017. We were hopeful to find her home right away because she had a microchip. However, hopes dropped as we traced the unregistered microchip that was administered in 2008. Lucy would have to wait and hope her owner came forward. By August 23rd, no call. Lacy would need a photoshoot.
 
I often receive email requests for more photos of a particular dog, or to post some “glamour shots.” While I’d love to produce the high quality outdoor shots for every dog, with my other duties as director of animal control, it just isn’t always possible. It can take quite a bit of time for a full workup and photoshoot. How long? Glad you asked!

At 9:00 AM, Lacy greeted me at her kennel door with her excited barking, knowing she would get to go outside for a walk (and a you-know-what). She had a wonderful, excited personality, especially for an older gal. 

From 9:07 to 9:16 we were actively shooting together. After using the bathroom, Lacy spent a good bit of time barking, wanting to get off her leash. I did my usual tricks to get her to perk up and look at the camera: panting, barking, squeeking, throwing up my hat and pine cones just above my head.

From 9:20 to 9:45 it was into the exam room. I drew blood for a heartworm test (unfortunately, she was heartworm positive, but with mild antigens), vaccinated and dewormed her, and sprayed her with a good dose of flea spray. She began a funny wiggle and roll dance as the little buggers writhed in death and fell from her coat.

After putting her back in her kennel, it was to my photo editing desk from 9:50 to 10:33. The first step was culling the 124 total photos to 12 sharp, usable photos. Next, each of those 12 RAW files needed minor adjustments for white balance, exposure, noise reduction, contrast, highlights and shadows adjustments. Then each one is imported into PS for further editing to “make them pop”. My basic edits on every photo include levels adjustments, removing blue hues from black fur, healing brush to get rid of eye boogers and other blemishes, burning and dodging and a final sharpening.
 
From 10:35 to 11:05 it was filling out her evaluation form, writing her bio, re-sizing each photo for web optimization, and posting her on www.waltonpets.net. (During this time I was interrupted twice for incoming phone calls. One from the Tax Assessor’s office, the other a victim of a pit bull attack who wanted an update on her case.)
 
Usually I wait until a later time to load the dogs and cats to Adopt-a-pet, Petfinder, Rescue Me!, and AllPaws. But to keep track of this log, I went ahead and did it so I wouldn’t get distracted by other things that constantly vie for my attention. Last, posting her Waltonpets Furtography Session blog. That lasted until 11:24 AM.
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So, start to finish for one dog: 2 hours, 24 minutes!!!! Granted, I usually have to cut several of those steps out to save time. But of all the duties I have at animal control, this is my absolute favorite. I’d dump all the other stuff and do photography, web posting and rescue coordinating all day if I could! 

Lucy was adopted by an out-of-state adopter who came forward to save this older girl. 

Wednesday, 2:51 PM - ​What a playful kitten! This little purr-box just went to town playing with a ball and toy mouse during his photo session. His rapid paw-swats and frequent diving and rolling were a bit to fast to capture on camera, but a few shots turned out. 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

​I’m glad there are a lot of people excited for once concerning something that doesn’t involve a video, screen or app. Many are getting outdoors with their dark glasses to observe a phenomenon of God’s creation.
 
We truly live in an ordered universe. The precise seconds of the eclipse are predicted through the clock-work accurate order of the universe. This very fact reveals a God of order, for no precise measurments could be made in a world created by random chance and evolution.

Friday, 2:46 PM -With a face like that, I knew this terrier pup wouldn’t need a glamour shot. This photo was taken while she was sitting on top of a white counter up against a white wall. Exposing for her black fur blew the counter and wall out to a nice, pure white.
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I was using a lens I wouldn’t normally put on the camera for a “glamour” shot. I had the 35mm fixed focal length lens that I typically use for the kennel shots. Since lighting isn’t that great in the exam room, the aperture was wide open to f/1.8 and the shutter speed set at 1/160 seconds (which probably could have been slowed down a bit). Auto ISO calibrated at 220.

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

​Tuesday, 8:16 AM - Chai was a plump beauty! This pregnant girl was picked up on a rural county road and the caller suspected she had been dumped. She had a wonderful personality that comes along with English Bulldogs. She ambled slowly along by my side on her way out for her glamour photos. Being so big, she wasn’t up for much walking and plopped herself down while I fired away. Unfortunately she was heartworm positive. But her wonderful personality quickly grabbed the heart of a local rescuer who was at the shelter picking up another dog. 

August 25, 2017 -
​An update from Safe Harbor about Chai and her puppies: Sweetie had her puppies this past Saturday morning … 2 girls/1 boy.  I ended up taking her to the vet Sunday as her x-ray showed a possibility of 4 puppies and wanted to make sure as she was acting a little strange but not distressed.  While there were no more puppies, she was running a little bit of a temperature and when vet examined her felt she might be coming down with milk fever so gave her a shot of penicillin and gave me some calcium supplements and to keep her on amoxicillin (which I had) for 7-10 days.  She is definitely nursing better now than at first. She is such a sweet girl … once she weans her pups and her milk dries up I will get her spayed and HW treated.  I should be able to get done prior to our CT event where I think she and her puppies will be adopted quickly :)

Tuesday, 8:56 AM - What a happy expression… especially for a dog that just got dumped off at a shelter. It is amazing how these wonderful animals still love us awful humans...
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Animal Control got a call about a stray brown dog on Monday. An officer went to patrol but didn’t locate the dog. The following day, a young man with the same last name and phone number as the caller from Monday brought the dog to the shelter claiming he was a stray.
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During the intake process, the staff was excited to find a microchip. Perhaps we’ll find his home quickly. But guess what: the microchip was registered to the same last name and phone number as the person who brought the dog in stray. After a few phone calls, the owner finally called back and the truth came out.
 
How much nicer it would have been (and morally upright) to have told the truth when they brought Bosco to the shelter. We could have gotten some background history and a completed owner surrender card to help him find a new home.
 
But even through all that, Bosco remains a happy, loving dog, trusting of people. I wish I could have the same faith and optimism in my fellow human beings as a dog like Bosco. 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Tuesday, 8:42 AM - ​Dobby was a cute little Chiweenie (Chihuahua and Dachshund mix) that was brought in to the shelter as a stray. She was a friendly little girl but had no interest in looking at the camera. Just for something different, and a bit closer by, I hooked her leash to the gate in front of the shelter, laid on my belly and fired a few shots. 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Tuesday, 9:19 AM - ​I was on a roll! Good conditions for photos; plenty of get-up-and-go this morning. I shot several dogs in a row. Sure this pretty Brittany Spaniel would get claimed by her owner, but why not get a few photos while I’m at it.
 
“Mattie” had on an orange collar and a shock collar. Not long after coming through the front door her owner called and made arrangements to claim her that day. 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Tuesday, 8:27 AM - “If I had the room, I’d take her home with me!” I know everybody says that when they see a dog’s photo posted on an adoption website. But for Mocha, I was speaking this out for real! What a great pup! A young, chocolate,  Weimaraner (mostly) girl.

Sometimes I’m baffled how dogs like Mocha don’t get claimed by an owner. This was no uncared for stray, no dumped dog with health issues. She was absolutely beautiful and well behaved. But no owner came to look for her. But her enthusiastic adopter was glad they didn’t! 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!

Monday, 11:10 AM - Into the “kitty studio” to photograph this litter of four pretty kittens against the gray muslin backdrop purchased for the shelter by Barbara off our photography wish list. Irresistable kitties with pretty pictures don’t stay in the shelter long! 

​williamwisephoto is saving to replace and upgrade the aging shelter camera. Any donation is a huge help!