Pet rescue and shelter photography: A "saving grace" for homeless pets. Can you help?

In today's economic climate, among budget cuts, home repossessions, and the growing jobless rate, we humans are not the only creatures suffering through hard times. Our four legged friends, all over the US, are suffering right along beside us. And they do so loyally.

Rescues and shelters are taking in record numbers of pets as they are abandoned in the streets and turned into shelters daily. More and more people are turning in their beloved pets for lack of money to feed them, take care of veterinary bills, or some because they no longer have a home to provide.

Many facilities will be forced to turn away new arrivals due to over populations in their kennels and the need to preserve funds for animals already living in their care.Shelter administrators are working diligently trying to find homes for all these homeless pets but there just isn't anywhere for them to go. Everyone is over capacity. While there are many no kill shelters across the nation , great numbers of pet shelters are forced to euthanize animals on a regular basis to make room for the ever growing numbers walking in the doors.

Shelter managers and employees concentrate more and more about adoption methods and avenues of education to better manage the flow of animals through their shelter. They realize that the more people they can reach and make aware of the situation, they better off for everyone involved, especially the pets.

The internet is a wonderful tool that makes it possible for shelters and rescues to introduce their furry residents to the world, to state their cause, and to encourage visitors into their shelters. And while a great written description of a loving pet will get the attention of some, a photograph is worth a thousand words. And a good photograph will speak volumes.

Shelters everywhere are using photography to show the world the loving pets that are out there waiting to find their new home.  With digital cameras being relatively inexpensive, and with no processing cost for prints, they are a perfect tool for any shelter or rescue to have in-house.

But with camera or not, many shelters do not always have the manpower to get the photos taken or get them online for the world to see. This is one facet of shelter operations perfectly suited for the volunteer. And although there are literally thousands of shelter volunteers around the US, there are never enough to meet the growing population in todays shelters and rescues.

Could you be the next volunteer photographer for your local shelter? Just ask yourself the following questions.

• Do I love pets and want to make a difference in the lives of many?
• Do I have the time and patience required to work with scared and lonely animals?
• Do I have the desire to practice my skill at photographing pets?
• Do I have good networking skills?

If you have answered yes to any of these four questions you should consider applying for a volunteer position at you local shelter. If you are good with a camera, you could be helping get the faces of these lovable pets on the web and into newspapers all over, so that people can see who's available for new homes. You can't imagine the impact you can make. You could be changing the numbers into a high percentage of adoptions, and reduce dramatically the Euthanasia rates in our shelters and rescues.

Contact your local shelter and ask about their volunteer program. Tell them you are interested in making a difference and point out your photography skills. Step in and make a difference. One pet at a time.

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