Tuesday mornings are fun! I grab my camera, squeaky toy and old clothes and head to my local Central Coast Animal Care Facility in Erina for some doggy time. Pups come into the facility for a huge variety of reasons. Sadly most involve unfortunate situations that leave the dog confused and lonely and wondering what they did wrong and why their humans left them behind. The wonderful staff at this facility go above and beyond to ensure every animal coming in is made to feel as comfortable and loved as possible for the duration of its stay and they work hard to find the perfect home for each pup.
I really enjoy playing my small part in helping these dogs (and occasionally other animals) find their forever homes by capturing quick mini portraits of them for the Centre's facebook and instagram pages. With the invaluable help of a volunteer from the facility as my assistant, I do my best to capture the character and beauty of each animal I photograph.
Puppies are the biggest challenge, many are so young and still not fully vaccinated so can't be put on the ground. We try and get the little wrigglers to sit in a clean dog bed on a chair and smile for the camera. They never stop moving! Nobody cares, it just means more cuddles and then we try again. What's not to love!
Big dogs are possibly my favourites, big faces, big smiles, big characters. Filling the camera with these beauties creates a powerful portrait that hopefully allows the viewer to make a connection. This gorgeous Macedonian Shepherd is simply a huge hunk of pure love.
Getting to know greyhounds in particular has been a huge eye opener for me. I always wrongly presumed they would be pretty full on as pets, chasing everything and needing a lot of exercise. In fact, they make wonderful, easy going family members. Most need around 20 minutes of exercise a day and like to sleep and laze around with their humans for the rest of the time. They also look super majestic if you succeed in snapping a shot with their ears pricked up - not easy as they usually lie flat against their heads, but that's where the squeaky toy comes in, works a treat for a couple of seconds - just be ready with your camera.
This stunning girl really knew how to strike a pose!
My time with these animals is voluntary and they give back so much more than they take. I have photographed over 150 dogs here so far and I always come away with a smile on my face and yet more love in my heart for our four legged friends.
Please Note: All animals in these images have happily now found their forever homes.
Please go to the Central Coast Animal Care Facility page below to see what beautiful animals are available for adoption at the moment.
Thank you for caring.
Jill
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