Photographing Sacramento Rescue Dogs

starting with pet photography

One of the main reasons I got into pet photography was to be able to give back to the pet rescues in my area. What better way to combine my love of animals and my love of photography than photographing shelter and rescue pups who need better photos to gain more visibility? And as I've worked more with the rescues in the area, I've found myself giving back in more than just photographs.

Tails of Sacramento

When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, it was devastating to the rescues and shelters, many of whom had to postpone or entirely cancel their in-person fundraising events. For the smaller rescues, these events are often their biggest money-generating efforts. And without that money, they were left scrambling (and in many cases dipping into their own personal savings) to ensure the dogs were still being taken care of while awaiting their forever homes.

From this need came my first published book - Tails of Sacramento. Part of a larger collective of pet photographers across the world, Tails of Sacramento told the stories of 51 Sacramento-area dogs, while highlighting some of the incredible parts of Sacramento. Half of the session fee for each dog went directly to my partner rescue, Resilient Dog Rescue, along with a portion of the proceeds from selling the resulting hardcover coffee table book. All-in-all, we were able to raise over $2,100 for the rescue.

Interested in supporting Resilient Dog Rescue? I've still got a few copies of Tails of Sacramento available for sale - order your copy here.

Tails of Sacramento 2

While I can't divulge all of the details yet, I'll be announcing the next Tails installment in the coming months. I'll be partnering with Resilient Dog Rescue once more to bring you Tails of Sacramento: Into the Suburbs, featuring fun-loving pups and cool cities within the suburban areas around Sacramento. If you're interested in getting your pup into the next book, sign up here to be the first to learn when details are announced.

Calendar Contest

Last year I hosted the first-ever Resilient Dog Rescue calendar contest, which was a huge success, raising over $5,000 for Resilient Dog Rescue. Entry fees for the calendar went to the rescue, and the 13 pups with the most votes got to be featured as the cover and months of the calendar. Each winning pup received a complimentary pet portrait session with me to capture their image for the calendar.

We'll be hosting the calendar contest again this year in just a few short months so make sure you're watching my social media pages for information about when and how to enter your pup to be featured in the 2023 calendar!

Photographing Adoptable Pups

Despite my other efforts, one of my favorite things to do for Resilient Dog Rescue is still to photograph their adoptable pups. In fact, I recently photographed a few of their current dogs - check them out below.