Zoey
Yesterday, dog blog friends, Ann B. at the The Daily Dachshund and Linda O’Neill of Abby Creek Art both mentioned the AP’s article about Black Dog Syndrome – the sad fact that black dogs make up the highest percentage of dogs put to sleep in animal shelters because people have the perception that they are unfriendly. The article cites several reasons for this phenomenon including the misperception that all black dogs are aggressive, that white hairs in their muzzles can make them look elderly, that they are hard to see against the shadows of their cages, and that they are difficult to photograph, especially their dark eyes.
Maya
This reminded me of an amazing L.A. pet photographer I recently discovered named Grace Chon. I love Grace’s clean, modern style and her playful approach to photo shoots. She actually comes bearing treats and toys. But what I truly admire about Grace is her dedication to shelter dogs and the way she uses her talent to help them, especially black dogs, find forever homes.
Gorgeous black shelter dog
Grace spends her spare time volunteering for an animal rescue group called The Paw’d Squad. She takes beautiful photographs of the shelter dogs for their website in order help capture the essence of the dogs and help draw in people looking to adopt. Through what she affectionately calls her Extreme Dog Makeovers, she can make a big difference in whether or not a dog finds a home. For example, here is a snapshot of a Rottweiler named Fannie Mae taken by The Paw’d Squad:
Fannie Mae "Before"
And here is Grace’s photo:
Fannie Mae "After" really captures her happy, playful, silly nature. And by the way she’s still in need of a home if you know anyone.
And she doesn’t give up. Sometimes she will go back month after month taking photos of the same dog to try to get the exact right image that will attract a prospective doggie parent. Her results have been remarkable and have had a profound impact on helping The Paw’d Squad find homes for dogs that seemed completely unwanted, before Grace did her magic. For example can you believe this little guy had trouble finding a home?
Paw’d Squad snapshot of Brass a Rottweiler puppy mix.
Not after Grace gave him a photography makeover:
Who could resist seeing this little face on a website?
Also, as an owner of two black rescue dogs, Maeby, a former Mexican street dog, and Zoey, a pup born in the gutter of Taiwan whom she rescued through an international organization called ART, she is an advocate of adopting and promoting the joy of owning black dogs.
Maeby
Zoey after her bath
It’s been a tough week looking at the brutality of puppy mills on Oprah, searching for ways to raise money for the ASPCA, but when you see the impact that one person can make on the lives of so many dogs, it’s truly inspiring. It’s an honor, Grace, to feature you and your beautiful black dogs on Dog Art Today. Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of these sweet creatures just looking for a place to call home.
To commission a portrait of your pet visit Grace’s shinepetphotos website. To see more of her work along with more Dog Extreme Makeovers visit her blog.