In 2006 I did some photography is support of Pink Ribbon Day. A lady I had met was raising funds for this very worthwhile cause by selling little stuffed toys which were replicas of her Black Standard Poodle, named Miss Chloe. I had travelled to Louise’s house to photograph Miss Chloe with 100 poodle toys. One of these days I’ll post those photos, but for the time being, here is her son hamming it up for the camera.
I just wanted to say a huge thanks to those of you who purchased the Dogs of India gift cards. Most of them have now been posted and you should have received an automated response from my system to let you know they are on their way.
I’m still just waiting on a couple of checks to come in and then I can let you know the final amount we’ve raised. I can say we have currently raised just over US$180. What an awesome response. Thankyou all so very much. It goes without saying that I couldn’t have done it without you!
The Dogs of India Gift Cards have arrived from the printers and I can’t believe how amazing they look. Truly, they have exceeded my expectations, and even Zoe gives them her stamp of approval. She agreed to have her photo taken again, if that is what it took to endorse this product.
At the time of posting, I have sold 17 packs of cards. I am so grateful to those people for their support…you know who you are. However, I had 50 packs printed and I would dearly like to sell them all. Otherwise, people will be getting Dogs of India gift cards from me for birthdays, engagements, weddings and Christmas until I fall off the perch.
Besides, the whole point of this exercise was to raise some money to go towards the very worthy cause of reducing the number of dogs in India who do not have permanent homes. A mere $10 would be enough to have one dog spayed/neutered and vaccinated. If you were to buy a pack of these gift cards, not only are you helping a great cause, you do get to share this wonderful gift with five other people (if you choose to give your cards away). I’m sure they’ll be a real talking point and people cannot help but think of you as a wonderful person. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Ok…surely I’ve given you a great sales pitch. Please hurry and buy yourself a pack (or two) of these gift cards. Last day is 24 July 2008.
Thanks to everyone who has already ordered Gift Cards. I thought I’d present another of the photos featured in the series so you can get a good look. Once all orders are in by 24 July 2008 I will mail out the packs in bulk. Thanks for your support.
BUY A PACK OF CARDS - SAVE PUPPIES
For a limited time I have packs of five gift cards for sale. All packs feature five different doggy images from my India travels. I’m extremely excited to offer these items, because those who purchase them will not only have some beautiful gift cards to give to their special people….they will also be helping a very worthy cause.
On a recent post, I received a wonderful comment from Eileen Weintraub, the Visakha SPCA Volunteer Global Outreach Director. Eileen mentioned that for the sum of US$10, one dog in their program can be spayed/neutered and vaccinated. I decided to do a little research into the situation and it seems that an unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce approximately 66,000 puppies in 6 years. Can you imagine it? Surely $10 would be a worthwhile investment if it prevents the opportunity for 66,000 more dogs to be living on the street.
To do my bit, I am offering these gift card packs for sale and all profits will be going towards the Visakha program. I have 50 packs available and I will be taking orders until 24 July 2008. Get in quickly if you would like to purchase one or two or three! Your Karma points will certainly get a boost!
To see some of the other images included in the pack and to purchase these items:
I’ve recently come across this brilliant website from Australia called Where do puppies come from? It exposes some of the nasty truths behind puppy mills and pet shops. I urge you to read this website and spread the word.
How you can help to stop puppy mills
1. Spread the word
Let people know that puppy mills exist and that you should never buy a puppy from a pet shop. The easiest way to effect change is by simple supply and demand. If you and everyone you know no longer considers buying a pet from a pet shop then these breeders lose their main outlet for profit. Pass this post to everyone you know.
2. Don’t shop at stores that sell pets
Buy food, supplies and toys at shops that do not sell pets; and be sure to tell them why they have you as a customer.
3. Adopt your next pet from a rescue group
Groups from around the country advertise pets looking for new homes. Puppies, pure breeds, designer dogs and mutts all come into rescue. A good rescue group will be able to help you choose the right dog for your lifestyle.
4. Donate
The shelters and rescues do not have the money behind them that the pet industry does. Help rescue by donating your old stuff, your time or your money.
5. Ensure that you never buy a dog from a puppy farm
If the only test you have to pass to get the puppy is whether your credit card charge goes through, that’s a pretty good sign the breeder doesn’t have the puppy’s best interests at heart - or yours. Many animal lovers feel they are saving the puppy in the pet shop window, but in reality you may be condemning the mother, a puppy mill dog, to a life of misery.
I’m going to go off on a little tangent today. So far I’ve been bringing mostly nice doggie pictures and happy stories to this blog. Today, I feel the need to remind myself and as many other people as I can that there are so many dogs in this world who do not live happy lives.
“Of the hundreds of millions of dogs and cats in the world, around 80% are thought to be strays. They are threatened by starvation, disease, traffic accidents, aggression from other animals, and abuse at the hands of humans. ” WSPA
Never was this more evident to me than in India. Of course they were great subjects for photography, but the reality is that every one of the dogs I photographed was living a tough existence. There is so much work that needs to be done to control the stray dog population and it seems to me that the most humane way to deal with overpopulation is the ABC (Animal Birth Control) method. The Visakha SPCA in Andhra Pradesh is doing some great work in this area.
And while the problem is very evident in India, unwanted and dumped dogs occur far too much in Western society as well. There are fantastic organisations working throughout the world to save dogs from death row every day, but we need to educate people that it is not ok to buy from puppy mills and it is not ok to buy from pet shops who are often supplied from puppy mills.
I personally feel like I should be doing more and I have some thoughts about how I can do that. I intend to do something with all my dog photos from India, and it will be something for good. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think I should do to raise awareness (and money) to put to this very important cause.
