It’s a fact: Black dogs (and cats) are difficult to adopt out of shelters. While no one knows the exact reason, some speculate it is because they don’t photograph well, don’t stand out among their peers or somehow color dictates their personality, making them an aggressive dog. For whatever reason, they seem to get passed over and therefore euthanized at a higher rate. This is such a huge problem at shelters, February has been designated Black Dog Syndrome Awareness month. We wanted to highlight one special woman taking on this issue and looking to change the ratio.
Meet Guinnevere Shuster, a photographer for the Humane Society of Utah. Shuster set out to make black dogs at the shelter stand out.
Taking a page from New York City-based Sophie Garmand, a photographer known for her “Flower Power” series of pictures of adoptable pit bulls with floral crowns, Shuster wanted to do the same for black dogs.
Related: Photographer’s ‘Black Dog Project’ Sheds Light on Black Dog Syndrome
So, she grabbed her glue gun and took her $22 worth of fake flowers she bought and created beautiful crowns, according to The Huffington Post. Placed on the dogs against a black backdrop, the pictures turned out amazing. So amazing that of the eight dogs photographed six have already been adopted. This includes two 10-year-old Labroador retrievers who had received zero interest prior to the shoot.
“When people see this series I hope they see how beautiful black shelter dogs are,”Shuster tells the outlet. “Using photography to feature adoptable animals is a passion of mine and I’m always trying to come up with ideas to help those who need it most.”
Related: Sophie Gamand’s Book ‘Wet Dog’ Goes Way Beyond Cute Pictures of Pups at Bath Time
Check out the amazing shots below.
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Image Credit: Guinnevere Shuster
Images from Facebook
