"April" was a cute little Labrador Retriever mix breed puppy picked up by an animal control officer on January 15, 2022. I had fun with her doing her outdoor adoption photos on January 21 and she was rescued from the shelter on January 24, 2022!

We can’t stop the wheels of time. But thankfully there can be a happy ending in a sad situation…

Poor "Trixie" was surrendered by her owner to the animal shelter on January 19, 2022. She was an older Saint Bernard mix dog that was with an older couple for many years. But then the cycle of life rolled on and one of Trixie’s owners passed away. The deceased owner’s spouse was then moving to a care home and Trixie couldn’t go along. So, Trixie also bereaved of family and home. She was in need of a new family where she could give and receive love.

I met Trixie at the animal shelter for her adoption photography session on January 21, 2022. I could immediately discern that she was a calm and affectionate girl upon first introduction.  But I could also see a little fear in her eyes, being newly brought into a strange environment away from her accustomed home. I brought her outside and gently reassured her before starting our photo session. Her long tan and white coat was so soft. After a few minutes of gentle petting and soft talk, she was ready for a few adoption photos.
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In addition to the photos, I recorded a short video of her interacting with one of the other shelter dogs. She was calm and gently wagging her tail. But the ringer was when she looked up at the camera with deep, sad brown eyes. It was enough to catch the attention of a non-profit rescue and she safely left the animal shelter on January 24, 2022!

When trying to rehome unwanted dogs from the animal shelter, great photography is invaluable. But there are times when photographs alone fall short…

JoJo was one of the many Pitbull dogs that end up in animal shelters nationwide. His family fell on hard times and JoJo was surrendered by his owner on January 19, 2022. American Pitbull Terriers are gorgeous dogs. They are short and muscular and usually have a shiny, sort coat. But at times, they can appear too tough. That, coupled with their reputation as fighting dogs, can make it quite difficult to get them adopted into new homes.

JoJo was an older boy, and had that nice, wide Pitbull stance. He was quite handsome, but as he stared into the camera lens, the photos didn’t do a good job of portraying his soft side. We then had to stress in his written narrative that JoJo was a family dog. His owner said he loved kids and loved his toys. He would always wait out front yard for the children in his family to get off the school bus in the afternoon and romp and play with them until they had to go in for dinner and homework.
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Thankfully, his photographs and his touching narrative pulled the heart strings of a non-profit, no-kill rescue group. He safely left the animal shelter and on his way to a new home on January 26, 2022.

"Athena" as a pretty pitbull surrendered to the shelter that I photographed on January 20, 2022.

My eBird alert for a species I didn't have in Walton County went off! A Canvasback had been listed by several users at the Braswell Church Road cattle ponds hotspot, so I had to go hunt it down. Upon arrival, the ducks were all at such a distance I couldn't really see them clear. So I fired away and scanned the shots back at home. Luckily, I got the Canvasback! 

​There’s a big problem with doing photography for the local humane society animal shelter. The problem isn’t being attacked by a vicious dog, or catching rabies from an infected stray. The biggest problem is falling in love with the many dogs and cats that desperately need a new home.

“Rex” was one of those dogs that I could have taken home. He was  an absolutely gorgeous German Shepherd mixed with Golden Retriever. This gave him the stately body of a shepherd, and the golden coat and friendly personality of the a retriever. Although they had him for a few years, he was surrendered by his owner who said a family member had allergies (the #2 reason typically given). Oh well. Their loss, someone else’s gain!
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I did Rex’s outdoor adoption photos on January 13, 2022. He was quite comfortable and his photos were stunning. And the “icing on the cake” was a short video of him wagging his tail, sitting on command, and shaking hands! Almost immediately after posting his photos and video on the adoption website, he got three inquiries from rescues and was safely out of the shelter quite quickly! 

​How does someone give up a dog as awesome as “Hunter”? His owner said he was extremely loyal,  great with kids, a feisty player, and yet a calm cuddler. However, he still ended up homeless in the animal shelter when his owner said they were "moving and can't take him." I don’t know all their circumstances, but if I had to move, I’d find a way to take a great boy like “Hunter” with me!

Being a well-trained dog, it was a photographer’s delight to shoot Hunter. There was a little bit of anxiety from being separated from his owner shown in his eyes, but he was still quite photogenic. He made things quite easy. I said “sit”, and he sat! He wasn’t camera shy and struck some nice poses.
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Once his photo session was done, he was posted on the shelter’s website, as well as several national pet adoption websites. It didn't take long for someone to fall in love with this handsome boy’s photos and they came to meet him the next morning. He was adopted after just two days in the shelter! One owner’s loss, but a new adopter’s great joy! 

"Donavan" was a handsome, young American Bulldog and Pitbull mix that was picked up stray by an animal control officer and came to the animal shelter. He was already neutered and such a good boy that he'd sit on command. I did his adoption photographs and video on January 12, 2022 and he was rescued from the shelter two days later on January 14, 2022!

"Reagan" was an older Pointer mix breed dog picked up by an animal control officer on January 10, 2022. She was already spayed and had a microchip, but none of the information was current, so the shelter couldn't find her owner. I had the pleasure of doing her adoption photography on the chilly morning of January 12, 2022.

"Misty" was a pretty pitbull girl that was turned in to the animal shelter as a stray on January 4, 2022. I had the honor of doing her glamour shots on January 12. She was such a pretty girl and posed nicely for the camera. 

"Brownie" was a good-looking pitbull boy that was surrendered to the animal shelter by his owner on January 6, 2022. I got to do  his adoption photos on January 12, 2022.

In the northwestern corner of Phinizy Swamp, across the wooden bridge that crosses the oxbow lake marsh, is the "Equalization Pond". I assume it is a bit deeper water than the wetland cells, and therefore houses a variety of wildlife. There is always a fairly large gator or two out in the open and up close for some good photographs.
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A short wooden fence surrounds the pond and can obscure the banks. So you occasionally have to slow down and peer down over the fence along the water’s edge. On my last trip to Phinizy, I nearly passed by one large alligator. It was only several yards from me, but hidden by the fence and bank. Climbing up on the fence a bit, I was able to shoot down and get some great detail photographs of those water-tight crocodilian scales and armor.