A good profile requires several crucial elements to make an impression.
1. Some key character traits: Likes long walks, staying in to watch thunderstorms, and eating delicious treats.
2. What you’re looking for: A partner to have adventures with!
3. And, of course, the ever-important photo: A soulful gaze, a triangle-shaped ear canted just right, and the perfect lighting to highlight a cute little pink-and-white spotted wet nose.
Gathering all these elements in place, the Treasure Valley’s shelter animals can match with the right people to share a lifetime with. Dedicated employees and volunteers snap perfect profile and candid shots, capture personality traits, and update pet availability. But with hundreds of animals passing through, it can be a challenge to ensure everyone finds a special connection.
Reduced staff, financial constraints, increased surrenders, and fewer donations have all affected shelters. Unsterilized animals also mean yearly events, like kitten season, further strain shelters with an influx of new animals to feed, care for, and house.
So how can you help?
Each shelter has different specialties and needs. Check with your shelter for its support needs. Monetary donations are often most effective. Pet food and treats, along with items like litter can also prove useful.
Want to give your time? Shelter volunteer programs can use your help with tasks ranging from pet playtime to keeping up with the loads of laundry and dishes required to run a shelter. Fosters are also in high demand.
And, of course, you can always look at the latest pet profiles and decide if a new family member is right for you. When you do, remember the passionate photographers who captured the cutie who caught your eye.
Note: All featured pets were adoptable when this article was written, but shelter populations can change frequently.
Idaho Humane Society (IHS)
1300 S. Bird Street, Boise
idahohumanesociety.org
“We have a professional pet photographer, Nette Shaff, with Unleashed Fur Pet Photography that volunteers her time every Monday to come in and photograph the dogs,” Public Relations and Digital Media Assistant Laurien Mavey said. “We also have weekly volunteers that assist me in handling the dogs. We use a variety of noises from squeaker toys or our mouth, treats, and peanut butter to try to get the dog’s attention directed at the camera.”
IHS also utilizes brightly colored or themed backgrounds and an ottoman to get the dogs up to camera height.
“These photos are so important because they get shared more, which ultimately helps the dogs get seen and adopted faster,” Shaff said. “They are the voice of the dogs who need forever homes.”
West Valley Humane Society (WVHS)
5801 Graye Lane, Caldwell
westvalleyhumanesociety.org
WVHS enjoys the volunteer work of Sue Anderson of Black Cat Photography.
“I go two to four times a week to photograph the dogs and cats and have a small studio at the shelter,” she said. “I provide all my own equipment and take all the cat photos and about half of the dog photos. Staff will also take candids of the dogs playing.”
Anderson said across 15 years of volunteering at shelters in multiple states, she’s photographed more than 10,000 animals so far.
“I treat each animal with kindness and respect,” she said. “My goal is to try and showcase them in the best light: a cute tilt of the head, a slobbery pup smile, a cat playfully trying to grab my out-of-camera- view wand. Sometimes, the intake photos make the animal appear sad, when in fact they are just a big goofball in bad lighting. My greatest joy is when I find out someone came to the shelter to meet and adopt an animal that I photographed.”
Simply Cats Adoption Center
2833 S Victory View Way, Boise
simplycats.org
“The photography of our adoptable cats is done by a group of three amazing volunteers who have experience in photography,” Outreach & Fundraising Coordinator Jenn Hernandez Arroyo said.
One photographer, Michael Paz, said he utilizes ambient light and off-camera flashes to bring out the best in animals.
“Good lighting is key to producing great images,” Paz said. “With cats, it highlights those features that draw people in. Shelter photography is so important because it is the primary advertisement for these animals. A quality photo not only allows people to better see our furry friends in need of homes, but it can also make the difference between sparking someone’s interest and bringing them in for a meeting instead of passing them by.”
Happy Jack Cats
Petco, 3548 S. Findley Avenue, Boise and Petco, 3006 E. State Street, Eagle
happyjackcats.org
Happy Jack Cats is a foster home-based rescue and adoption group, which partners with Petco to showcase its kitties.
“Our foster parents take most of the photos of their adoptable kittens,” Emily Sullivan with Happy Jack Cats said. “We know that they know their fosters the best, and since the kittens are in their homes, they have the opportunity to utilize timing (after a meal, after playtime) and time of day.”
Sullivan also takes photos of potential adoptees.
“I try to use natural sunlight coming through the window, use "portrait" mode on my cellphone to blur a busy background, get down on the level of the cat, and try to use a photo where they are looking into the camera,” she said. “A good photo can make an adopter fall in love before they even meet the cat.”
Additional Shelters
Pet Haven Cat Adoption Center
333 W. Orchard Avenue, Nampa
pethavencats.org
Meridian Canine Rescue
Emmett
meridianrescue.org
Lake Lowell Animal Rescue
Nampa
lakelowellanimalrescue.org