{This post is written by one of my favorite dog photographers, Melissa McDaniel.}
When I first got my dog Sadie, I didn’t know anything about deaf dogs. Sadie was relinquished to a local shelter after the owners found out she and all of her littermates were born deaf. It wasn’t long before I learned two things about deaf dogs. One, although they require some different training techniques, for the most part, deaf dogs are just like any other dogs – just as smart, trainable, fun-loving, loving. Two, many deaf dogs have a very rough start in life. Negligent owners believe their dogs don’t listen to them because they are stupid or stubborn, which tragically leads to deaf dogs being abused. Even worse, many deaf puppies aren’t given a chance at life – they are euthanized simply because they are deaf. For these reasons, I started photographing for the photo book projects. I wanted to create a photo book that showed the beauty of these dogs and told their stories, that raised awareness and perhaps changed some laws.
I’ve been traveling the country for a year now to photograph for the deaf dog photo book, and a subsequent book on rescued dogs. I am hoping the sales of the books will raise $300,000 for animal rescue and deaf dog advocacy groups – but the only way that will happen is if I am able to raise the money for printing. I’m publishing the books myself, and in an effort to raise money for the high printing costs, I am offering pre-orders and holding two contests.
If you believe in what I’m doing and would like to help in some way, enter your dog in the contest to be in this year’s photo book, pre-order the books (for you or for gifts) at a discount, or tell your rescue/shelter about the affiliate contest and get them involved. Or, simply send your friends to this blog post to help spread the word.
The only way this project will make a difference is for people to see these books. Thank you! Your support of the projects is greatly appreciated by me (and Sadie!)!
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