Our assignment last week in school was to photograph a story in twelve images. My first idea was to photograph the day-to-day events at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, where we adopted our two year old cat, Sierra, a couple of months ago. Our cat is wonderful and we had a great experience adopting from the Alexandria shelter, so I wanted to tell their story. The final project is to turn the photographs (these and more) and audio recordings of an interview with a staff member into a video, which the shelter may use on their website. My photo story aims to present a picture of the shelter's typical routine, from animal surrender to adoption.
In this first image, a woman surrenders (gives up) a litter of stray kittens she found near her house. People will surrender animals if they find them as strays or if, for any reason, they are no longer able to properly care for the animals. Lately, the shelter has seen an increase in the number of surrenders from families who can no longer afford to properly care for their pets.
After an animal is surrendered, the proper shelter staff or local veterinarians examine the animal to evaluate his/her health, age, etc. Local vets volunteer their time once per month to assist in the medical care for the shelter animals. In the image below, Doctor Alexandra Reed of VCA Old Town Alexandria examines a cat's ear for abnormal rashes.
The vet removes stitches from the sore on a dog's lip, which was biopsied to determine whether there were any abnormalities. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is fortunate enough to have the funding to be able to provide (as compared with other shelters) fairly extensive medical care to their animals. Animals are only available for adoption after they are healthy enough to go to their potential new homes.
The chiuaua in the image below receives an eye exam to determine whether he may be exhibiting any early signs of blindness.
The League, unlike many animal shelters, offers several human-sized cat cages so that people can go into the cages to visit more closely with the cats. It is important for people to find a pet that will fit well in their home with their family and any other pets who may already live there. All cat cages (with the exception of young kitten cages) are unlocked and people are encouraged to open the cages to pet the cats. In this image, a woman visits with the cats who are available for adoption. The signs on the cages describe the cat(s) inside (their personalities, history, etc.).
In the image below, a kitten nibbles at his foster mom's finger on his first day at the shelter. Animals sometimes go into foster care before going to the shelter if they require regular medication or are too young to be in the shelter.
Below, a volunteer comforts a dog after taking her for a walk. Volunteers are vital to the League's success. They spend time with the animals every day, comforting them and giving them a break from the confines of their cages. Shelter life is particularly hard on the dogs, so the daily walks that the volunteers provide them are especially important.
A volunteer, below, plays with a kitten who is available for adoption.
Here, a man cuddles with Olivia, a cat with a particularly interesting story. A woman brought Olivia to the shelter after she found her roaming near her house. Neighbors told her that the cat had been living in the sewers for at least six months. When Olivia came to the shelter, she was emaciated and had sores all over her paws. The shelter staff essentially nursed Olivia back to health and she was put up for adoption last Thursday - at a healthy weight and with her sores slowly healing. She is a very sweet, mellow cat who loves to just burrow her head into a person's arms.
After a person finds an animal that is a good match for him/her, the person fills out an adoption application. At that point, the shelter staff schedules a home visit to discuss the detailed responsibilities of owning a pet. During the home visit, the staff member will cover information such as food, medical history, introducing the animal to animals who already live in the home, etc. At the end of the home visit, if the person is willing to accept the responsibility that comes along with caring for a pet, the person signs an adoption contract. The adoption contract binds the person to several terms, including the promise to return the animal to the Alexandria shelter if he/she is no longer able to care for the animal properly. At that point, the person is able to schedule a time to pick up the animal from the shelter to bring him/her home.
Besides cats and dogs, the shelter has birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters available for adoption. They have also had fish in the past! Below, a man happily watches the four parakeets he just adopted from the shelter - they were on their way home with him that evening.
When a person finds a pet that will fit with their personality and home, it is a win-win situation for the shelter. In this image, a shelter staff member watches as a woman picks up one of two cats she just adopted from the shelter.
If the shelter chooses to use the video I will be creating, I will be sure to post a link to this site!
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