So I returned from Los Angeles with a whole new perspective and admiration for how much shelters deal with every day. Seeing all these photographers working side by side with the shelter volunteers to take pictures of every animal in their care was nothing short of amazing.
In 2 days the 7 shelters in the Los Angeles county system adopted out 308 animals and as of today there are still a few more pending – which is an amazing amount for them in July.
Below are some of the images I personally took while out there – and I can say, this was the first time I ever photographed turtles!
Of course now I want one because these guys are gorgeous!
Rumor has it there will be more Seen=Saved events taking place – so stay tuned to see if there is an opportunity to take part near you!
Although I have not been involved in animal photography as much as I have been in the past, when I saw this initiative come through my feed – I knew it was something I had to jump on!
So I did.
I am a big believer in education as the primary force in helping more homeless animals find homes.
Yes, we share things on social media.
Yes, we share things in newsletters and even at events.
But sharing is only a small part of the picture.
While we like to believe everyone is on social media, they are not.
While we like to think everyone is reading our newsletters or attending events, they are not.
That is where SEEN=SAVED comes in!
What is SEEN=SAVED?
A collaborative event that will include a variety of animal lovers who want to be a part of making change and bringing awareness to the number of animals in a shelter on any given day!
In ONE day a large group of volunteers will work together to photograph every single animal in the Los Angeles shelter system.
This team-inspired initiative making it all happen includes:
Shelter Me if you are not familiar with them is a film series that airs on PBS and tells the stories of shelters and shelter animals. SEEN=SAVED is their idea and they were excited to partner with HeARTs Speak and Rita Earl to bring this amazing concept to fruition.
Shelter Me has plans to make this event a PSA, a mass media campaign and of course an episode for their TV series.
What Is The Goal?
To hit home the fact that every day in Los Angeles animal shelters (as well as animal shelters all over the country) there are so many animals waiting for a chance to be a part of a family.
My personal take is that many people who see this initiative will be overwhelmed at just how many animals are in the shelters EVERY DAY!
When Is It?
Saturday – July 13, 2019
Where Is It?
Los Angeles, California
The project will give all 7 Los Angeles county animal care centers the opportunity to have their animals photographed and showcased for lots of people to see! The care centers that SEEN=SAVED will have a presence at are:
County of Los Angeles – Downey Animal Care Center
County of Los Angeles – Baldwin Park Animal Care Center
Carson Animal Care Center
County of Los Angeles – Lancaster Animal Care Center
County of Los Angeles Palmdale Animal Care Center
County of Los Angeles – Castaic Animal Care Center
County of Los Angeles – Agoura Animal Care Center
Get Involved!
Love animals?
Are you a professional photographer?
Are you a hobbyist photographer?
Do you know how to rock images on your phone?
Do you love taking video?
These are just SOME of the services we need on July 13th!
This is a huge undertaking since there can be upwards of 1,000 animals that need images or video taken in ONE DAY!
Then after the event – we want to make sure each and every animal is shared EVERYWHERE to give them a chance at being seen by their next family, and that is where YOU come in if you cannot actually attend.
If you love taking videos, taking pictures, writing bios or even just want to help wrangle – and can be in LA on July 13th, we can use your help – so hop on over to the sign-up form and head on out for one amazing opportunity to do something great for homeless animals.
We promise the puppy licks and kitten head butts will make it all worth while.
Not in a position to join us – but want to help us share the animals we photograph or just want to learn more about the event?
Once we get back from the event we will be sure to post some images of all the action so you can see how it all came together! We are super excited!
My name is Sergio. My mom and I want to adopt a kitten today. Do we have to go to one of the shelters to actually adopt the cat. today? Do we need to sign up? Are we able to view the photos of the pets at 10:00 on the website? Please tell me the process, and what I need to do to adopt. Thank you,
Christine ([email protected]) or 323-910-7082
Sergio’s mom
I am so sorry Christine, I was on site at Los Angeles this weekend and not able to check for comments. I hope you were able to get out to one of the shelters to adopt a cat!
Would love to adopt a small Yorki puppy . Please let me know if you do have one , I live far by to would drive distance to adopt . Thank you
Hi Pamela, the best thing to do is look on Petfinder for specific breeds, a Yorki puppy will be hard to come by and you may do better with a breed specific rescue.