Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted January 21, 20164,737 views10 comments
Clarice was one of the dogs on the transport to Mary's Dogs in NH who had been rescued from a high-kill shelter in the south. It is believed that she was abandoned before being picked up as a stray. It is unknown how she suffered her injury but it did not in any way detract from her outgoing and friendly disposition.
Clarice kept going to the fence, as if looking for someone. This is a common symptom of abandoned dogs, they do not give up hope that their human family is coming back for them. Her quiet, gentle demeanor made me wonder why anyone would abandon her, or perhaps even abuse/injure her.
Clarice was quickly adopted by a loving family, thanks to the work of rescue networks and organizations like Mary's. Good thing or I would have taken her home myself.
But...this photo still breaks my heart....
Comments
10 comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on January 21, 2016 at 6:58 PM
I was thinking about this photo today Jim and was wondering if you were going to post it. It certainly tells the sad story of some rescue dogs. So glad she was adopted by a loving family. She is a mama dog too. Wonder where her pups ended up.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 21, 2016 at 7:42 PM
Yes, that scar tells a terrible story. Interesting news for me about the staring out through the fence.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Erhardt on January 21, 2016 at 8:17 PM
Mark, I probably could have worded it better: it's not so much about the fence, it's that abandoned dogs never seem to give up hope their owners are coming back.
Some good (but heart-breaking) reading on the subject - Google "abandoned dog waits for owner"
Registered on November 1, 2003, 245 Posts, 2421 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on January 22, 2016 at 9:03 PM
Sheesh...thanks for making me cry, Jim.
Very cool story-telling image here. The dog and its expression (and really even its emotion) is captured wonderfully, but I can't help noticing how cool the effect of the fencing is as it fades out of focus. It's an important aspect of this image, both in emotional impact/story and in graphical contribution.
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on January 22, 2016 at 9:09 PM
Clarice has some war wounds visible on her face. It looks like she may have cut her self going through some wire. It is nice that she went to a good home...........................Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Erhardt on January 23, 2016 at 7:40 AM
John, yes the fence "fading away" (as in any hope of the "owner" returning) is something I wanted to use to help convey the story.
As a bit of background, the vast majority of photos used to list these dogs are not that good (usually cell phone snaps) but in most cases are adequate to help get the dogs adopted. There are a handful of photographers that help Mary's Dogs capture better images, including Eva and me.
My goal is to capture photos like this one and narrate them with words that will capture hearts. I do take a bit of artistic license to create a compelling story, but they are all based in fact for that particular dog. That said, I can tell you getting any information on the origins of these dogs is extremely difficult.
Thanks to all for taking the time to comment!
Registered on November 1, 2003, 245 Posts, 2421 Comments
Comment posted by Jerry Marella on January 23, 2016 at 12:00 PM
We'll never know how the scars that come with rescues got there. The important thing is that the pain is in the past. Great challenge week, although hard for me to look at sometimes. Must be a special place in heaven for all those who rescue and the animals that are rescued.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 142 Posts, 862 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on January 23, 2016 at 10:51 PM
Hi Jim Two things i will never understand, why people make war. and why people abandon animals... here in quebec the spca is doing a fine job helping abandoned and stray animals find homes.... . we make a big donation to them every year. ... our last member of the family was a stray cat from the spca .
Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Gavin on January 24, 2016 at 2:16 AM
Jerry says: "(There) must be a special place in heaven for all those who rescue and the animals that are rescued;" I am sure there is and am equally sure there is a special place in a much different place for those who treat animals in such a way that they must be rescued. Jim: thank you for posting this very special photo.
Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Erhardt on January 24, 2016 at 8:27 AM
I cannot share my opinion in public of what I think of those who abuse animals. I do think they are of cut of the same cloth as those who commit atrocities against humans. Yes, many of these people are mentally sick and need help themselves, but then again Evil has many faces.
Those who are involved in the rescue process, from the humane societies that pull the dogs from shelters (talk about a heart-breaking process of having to leave so many behind) to the rescue organizations who then find these dogs homes, demonstrate the empathy and compassion that we should have for all inhabitants of the animal kingdom. Assisting them in this process is one of the most worthy things I feel I can do with my photography.
Above is another photo of Clarice from the same session. She is a small dog, no more than 35 pounds, and we believe she is just a few years old and obviously already had a litter. All of the other dogs that day were focused on what was going on inside the fence, Clarice remained focused on what might be on the outside.
Thanks again to all for commenting and for your support of animal rescue organizations.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 245 Posts, 2421 Comments
Comments
10 commentsSome good (but heart-breaking) reading on the subject - Google "abandoned dog waits for owner"
Very cool story-telling image here. The dog and its expression (and really even its emotion) is captured wonderfully, but I can't help noticing how cool the effect of the fencing is as it fades out of focus. It's an important aspect of this image, both in emotional impact/story and in graphical contribution.
As a bit of background, the vast majority of photos used to list these dogs are not that good (usually cell phone snaps) but in most cases are adequate to help get the dogs adopted. There are a handful of photographers that help Mary's Dogs capture better images, including Eva and me.
My goal is to capture photos like this one and narrate them with words that will capture hearts. I do take a bit of artistic license to create a compelling story, but they are all based in fact for that particular dog. That said, I can tell you getting any information on the origins of these dogs is extremely difficult.
Thanks to all for taking the time to comment!
Albert Darmo
Canada
Those who are involved in the rescue process, from the humane societies that pull the dogs from shelters (talk about a heart-breaking process of having to leave so many behind) to the rescue organizations who then find these dogs homes, demonstrate the empathy and compassion that we should have for all inhabitants of the animal kingdom. Assisting them in this process is one of the most worthy things I feel I can do with my photography.
Above is another photo of Clarice from the same session. She is a small dog, no more than 35 pounds, and we believe she is just a few years old and obviously already had a litter. All of the other dogs that day were focused on what was going on inside the fence, Clarice remained focused on what might be on the outside.
Thanks again to all for commenting and for your support of animal rescue organizations.