Pit Bull Flower Power x Calhoun County Humane Society

*** EDIT, Nov. 17th: We reached our initial goal of $1,500, then surpassed it!!! Thanks to all of you, a generous donor is adding $1,500, which they will send directly to the shelter. All the money raised will be used by the shelter for long time dreams of theirs. I asked the CCHS what their next big dream was, and the simplicity of their needs broke my heart. Their priority is to make life better at the shelter, and that includes being able to neuter some of their males. Yes your read right. The CCHS doesn’t have the means to spay/neuter their animals so they usually only do it once the animal is adopted. A stay at a shelter can be particularly stressful for intact males - think of them as crazy hormonal teenagers… Oh the emotions, the smells, the confusion, the temptations! As you can imagine, not only is it very stressful for all (animals and humans) to live in an environment loaded with hormonal madness; but it also makes adoptions trickier because some people just don’t want to wait for a spay/neuter surgery… So any money raised above $1,500 will be put toward neutering males, helping make the shelter a safer, more comfortable place for all (the males included!). One surgery is about $100. ***



Back in August 2016, I visited the Calhoun County Humane Society in Anniston, Alabama. Isolated and run by a small and mighty team of volunteers, the shelter is a safe place for local dogs, especially pit bulls, who suffer greatly in this area plagued by animal cruelty and dog fighting. With their vow to remain “no kill”, the shelter is always at capacity and beyond, with no resources to spare for special projects.

That day at the shelter, I photographed 54 dogs. The majority has since been transferred to rescue partners or adopted. But there was one dog that didn’t make it to the shoot, and her story is the inspiration for this fundraiser.

Mystique’s behavior was so terrible in her kennel, that the staff didn’t feel comfortable bringing her to my set. For that reason, I didn’t get to photograph her back in 2016. Earlier this year, Mystique took a turn for the worst and was severely deteriorating, not interested in eating, losing weight, seemingly depressed. The vet couldn’t find anything medical, and diagnosed her with a case of “shelter life.”

Mystique needed more. She needed the shelter’s staff to step up to the plate for her. And they did. She went on a special regimen of extra TLC, multiple walks a day, long conversations with volunteers, more enrichment, field trips… Not easy for a staff who is constantly stretched thin.

But Mystique started to transform. She improved quickly, gained weight and more pep in her step. She improved so much that she was able to attend enrichment classes at a local nonprofit (Encore Enrichment Center for Shelter Dogs). Someone had left children’s playground equipment there. And a miracle happened. Mystique discovered the slide and loved sliding down! She was having a blast! And just like that, Mystique went from being at death’s door in March, to being rescued in June, a healthy and well-adjusted dog.

Back at the Calhoun County Humane Society, the staff has dreamed of owning their own playground equipment, and with this campaign, I would love to help them get started. They work so hard with so little, and this could be a game-changer for all their dogs. With just $1,500, the shelter could get the main swing set, modify it to fit dogs’ needs (extend the ramp, switch the swings for ropes/balls), and purchase dog puzzles and other enrichment toys. The end goal is to make many of their dogs more adoptable, especially pit bulls who often need extra enrichment and exercise.