November 22, 2024 • 23 mins
Abandoned by Katherine Carver is a book like no other, featuring stunning photographs that capture the forgotten dogs in shelters. Each photo tells a heartfelt story of a dog's journey, from the days spent waiting for a forever home to the joy of being chosen—and, in some heartbreaking cases, being returned. Through these powerful images, the dogs' hope, resilience, and unwavering spirit shine, often with a wagging tail. It’s their eyes that will truly win you over. Katherine Carver dedicated years to this mission, creating a collection of stories and photographs that will deeply move you—as they should. A portion of the author's royalties will be donated to SPCA International - dog rescue and animal welfare causes, making this a truly beautiful and impactful book.
EPISODE NOTES: Abandoned
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EPISODE NOTES: Abandoned
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pet Life Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Let's talk pats Hi, everybody, Cheryl from Unleashed and today
I am very glad to have Katherine Carver with us,
and she wrote a gorgeous book and we'll discuss that.
(00:27):
Welcome Catherine. I'm glad that I have you on the show.
This is going to be a very interesting show.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Well, thank you so much for having me in. I'm
happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
So before we get into the book and all of
your why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, the main reason I'm here is because of my
book Abandoned, chronicling the journeys of once forsaken dogs. I'm
actually originally trained as an attorney, so I work full
time and I've worked on this project for over a decade,
which was inspired by my very first rescue dog, who
changed my life and brought me back to photography. And
(01:04):
I just wanted to learn more about what was happening
to these abandoned dogs. So my first dog, Biscuit, set
me on this path and this become very interested in
the dog over population crisis.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh yeah, I have a rescue I never went to
a shelter before, and I got my Tilly McGee and heartbreaking.
And it's just for every dog in a shelter. It's
a human's fault. For every dog that needs to be
put down. You know, it's a human's fault. They have
to stop buying and breeding dogs oodle doodles and they're
(01:40):
mixed with this and that. You know, it's like going
to the supermarket. If there's fifty oranges on the shelf,
that's the fifty oranges you pick from. And there is
something very special about a rescue dog because they know
they're rescued. Now, when you got when you got your dog, Victory,
(02:00):
was that his name when you got when you got him?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
No, the dog that I shared with you that I
presently have, her name is Victory. She's our second rescue dog.
She's a Shetland sheep dog. But the first dog that
I had, Biscuit, who is pictured at the front of
my book, whom the book is dedicated to, that was
our very first rescue dog. He was a Tricolor shelty
found wandering the back roads in North Carolina and was
(02:25):
brought to a rescue organization in Maryland. And that's how
we were able to meet him and adopt him. So
how did you get the name Victory. She came at
the rescue. She came from a rescue in Michigan, and
she had the name and she knew it and we
kept it, just like we did it with Biscuit. He
was given the name at the rescue and we kept it.
How old was she when you got her Victory? We
(02:48):
think was approximately two. We're guessing based on at the
time the vet, you know, they check her out and
I think.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
They go buy the teeth or something. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, And in nine days actually will have her eleven years. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
That's really amazing because unfortunately dogs aren't really living that
long with all this all these you know, illnesses around.
You know, I used to have when I was a kid.
My dogs were like nineteen and fifteen and my cats
were like twenty or eighteen and stuff. But when I
got Tilly, they said they got her off the street.
(03:25):
But when I did freedom of information, they had found
her in a cage. They named her Phoebe. You know,
they come up with all these cutesy names because they
think that'll help, and I guess sometimes it does. But
I didn't want a Phoebe. I wanted a Tilly. And
I think Tilly had to have a middle name, so
I named it Tilly McGee. I've had her two years,
(03:45):
just two years. She just celebrated her third birthday and
I got her at eleven. But I have to tell
you took all of these photos in this book, correct.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yes, I did. They're all my photos and words, yes.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
And I have to tell listeners it's all black and white.
It is so gripping their faces. I've come to think
that the look of a dog's ears in their eyes
tells everything. That's really their expression, you know, the way
their ears move, the way their eyes do. I know
(04:19):
when I talk to my dog, she's got brown eyes,
and you know, I could tell she's listening to me
because her eyes moved back and forth, you know, and
here I am, I'm talking to my dog. But I
believe that they understand.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yes, i'd agree.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Now the dogs that they were different shelters, right that
you went to.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Yes, there was one primary shelter and then about four
rescue organizations. And I live in the mid Atlantic and Maryland,
so I worked with these organizations in order to photograph
the dogs. Also, they were integral in helping me get
adopter information so I could photograph the dogs about a
(04:59):
year after. So in most cases about here separates the
photographs and at the time I photographed the dogs initially
while they resided at a shelter rescue organization. I provided
them immediately with a color image that does not appear
in the book to help get that dog adopted.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And it worked. I mean, some dogs, you know, stay
in the shelter long then we hope and all of
the dogs, except for a few, we don't have to
go into that because that's heartbreaking, and some dogs are returned.
I just don't understand you. That's a commitment once you
get a dog. I mean, I take my dog to
the dog park and there's one family sadly he has
(05:40):
to rehome his dog because he now has a child
and the child has allergies that you can understand and
hopefully they'll find a good family. But you know, once
you adopt an animal, the reasons we can't afford the
vet caree, we can't afford food, and I cook for
my dog. One woman on one of my links, because
(06:02):
I deal with a lot of rescues and I have
a lot of shelters that I'm hooked up with, people
would go through the trash to feed their dog if
they could afford it, And there are organizations, especially near
where you live in Virginia, there are organizations for seniors.
If they cannot afford to feed their dog, there's a
(06:24):
number they could call and they will help them. And
there's some other organizations where if an elderly person, a
senior needs to have surgery or something, they have places
that could help forster the dog. So there are communities
if people look into it, that could help people. So
we keep the dogs because a lot of this with COVID,
(06:47):
A lot of people adopted dogs because they will lonely
and then COVID is over, or you go back to
work and now you've got this dog. And there was
even one gal that I had on my show because
some people couldn't get out, she was able to provide
them with a link in their house on their phone
or their TV where they could see dogs or sea
(07:11):
cats for comfort, so they weren't alone alone. But I
think the biggest thing with the rescues is people have
to stop buying dogs and they have to fix their dogs.
I mean, when I go to the park, there are
some you know, male dogs, they are still intact and
it's mostly male owners. And if you say when are
you going to fix them? Oh, I'm not. I'm going
(07:32):
to breed them. We don't need any more dogs because
the reality is there's too many that are looking for
homes that if there weren't as many, maybe they would
have a good chance. The shelters that you dealt with,
how many beds did they have? Was it a big shelter?
It was?
Speaker 1 (07:51):
And just to give you context, I photoed. This was
a decade long project, so I did most of the
photographing in two thousand and thirteen through two than in fifteen.
And some of the organizations are actually not running anymore
due to COVID, but a couple of them are. But
with the shelter, I would say it was a medium.
I don't know exactly how many beds per se the
(08:13):
space they had, it's a pretty good size.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah. See that's it, you know. And then there's some
because I have friends who go to shelters walk the dogs,
there are some shelters that you don't even walk. See
what broke my heart because I had never gotten a
dog at a shelter, you know, I had my dogs
when I was younger, and then I got being single,
then you get into cats, but this was a planned relationship.
(08:40):
I wanted a dog, and I tried going through forsters
and that didn't work out right for me. So I
finally went to a shelter, which, like I said, was heartbreaking.
But this shelter you were allowed to walk along, which
some shelters don't allow that. You look at a picture,
and there's some well even in the shelter, they have
(09:02):
dogs that are forced it out that they have no
room for them, so they're on their website. But if
I would have looked at Tilly on a website or
a picture and not seeing her in real life, I
don't know if I would have adopted her. She had
personality when they brought her out, you know, I walked
(09:22):
through and it said very friendly, you know, gets along
with other dogs, which I wanted a friendly dog because
I want to I'm social. I want a social dog,
and she is and she's great with kids. She's not perfect,
but she's great with kids. So I don't have any kids,
but when you go to the park, there's always kids
(09:44):
and they always run around and you don't want any problems.
But then they asked me if I wanted to, you know,
meet her outside, and she just she had personality, and
that's when I decided, yup. I met her on a Saturday,
she got fixed on a Monday, and I took a
home on a Tuesday. So I guess that's what you say,
(10:05):
love at first sight.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah, and similar to what you're saying a lot of
the adopters, because there's a narrative accompanies each dog's photograph,
and I interviewed people up the shelter and rescue organizations
for the first photographs of the dog and then likewise
with the second image of the state of the dog.
I interviewed the adopters and a lot of them would
(10:28):
say that they saw a picture or they meant the
dog and they just knew that that was the one
for them. Sometimes they would have dogs who had previously
passed away and come upon another shelter rescue dog and
it just was just, you know, just smitten and and
that it's just kind of like kiss me it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
It just you just know, yeah, and the dogs know.
But you know, the longer a dog is in the
shelter and it depends. I don't think my Chilly was
in that long because she looks sad when I walk by.
But you know, she's in a cage. You know, I
mean people in jail have more space than these dogs,
(11:10):
but they did have you know, they're all on cots
and they were cleaner. You know, they really did take
good care of the animals. But you could only take
as much good care as you could take good care.
There's a lot of dogs there. They need when they
get shut down by being in a cage. That's why
exercise is the key for us and for dogs, they
(11:33):
need to be taken out and a look see and
you know, you just see if the dog is for you.
I think the eyes tell you when you look in
the dog's eyes and they look back at you, and
if it clicks with them, and it clicks with you,
and you just think of you know, early morning, I'm
getting up early.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, I think you just know and they do too.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So how did you come about wanting to do this?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
So I alluded to this earlier. So my husband and
I at the time, before we had our daughter, we
rescued biscuit from a rescue organization out within an hour
of where we live, and we were we were we
just called around and this one rescue organization said I
(12:21):
have one, and we didn't even see a photo of
him at the time, and we met him and we
just said, you know, we're going to adopt him. And
of course they do background check on you and whatnot.
We were able to adopt him, and I just couldn't
believe the transformation. You know, he he was so shy,
(12:42):
he was he he turned into a completely different dog
within you know, weeks to months. He really gained confidence,
He really came out of his shell. He began to
enjoy his life, you know, he began to trust. And
I just couldn't believe the change, and also the change
within me. I had never had a dog in childhood.
(13:05):
This Biscuit bar for both of us, our first dog
ever who happened to be a rescue dog, and he
just really opened my eyes to what is why are
these dogs abandoned? Why are they left? And I just
literally I know this sounds strange, but literally, on a
summer day in twenty twelve, the idea just kind of
(13:26):
came to me, this concept of trying to follow these dogs,
and it kind of evolved evolved over time, and I
just really wanted to know and raise awareness about how
not only does dog rescued and adoption improve the dog's
life immensely, but there's also so many benefits to the humans.
(13:47):
Our lives are really enrenched, and so I wanted to
find a way to, like I said, just bring awareness
because these are just incredible sentient beings and I cannot
imagine not ever, you know, I can't imagine not having
a rescue dog. We will always have a rescue dog.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I'm glad to hear that. And it's true. They are
your life changes. I mean your life changes. I have
a life in between walking and carrying and being with
my dog, and it's fine with me. But what what
made you wanted? I mean, doing it in black and
white was brilliant, But what made you do that? What
(14:30):
made you side that.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I wanted to do that? I think because the black
and white kind of kept everything. The black backgrounds kept
the common thread between all of these dogs and also
really kept the focus on each individual dog and they're
all square, also keeping it, you know, a common thread
continuity within the image, and it really I just thought
(14:55):
it would really get to the essence of each dog.
And I was hoping to to help portray like a
juxtaposition between the images that you can see some sort
of emotional physical change between the images photographically. That is
why I did it in black and white.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Really, picture is phenomenal. That dog's eyes and their ears.
That dog on the cover is gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Her name is Sheila, and I thought she just encompassed
the whole project in an image, you know, And I
thought it was striking and eye catching for people as well.
And I also I didn't name it, you know, like
finding Home or something like that, because I did. I
did keep the title Abandoned because I really wanted to,
you know, that raise attention to humans can be so kind,
(15:43):
right and adopt these dogs and give these dogs a
new life, while at the same time we as collectively
disposed of these dogs so easily. And it's just it's
just unbelievable. It was kind of an unfolding with this project.
I did not know how it was going to turn out.
I just had the concept of trying to photograph these
(16:03):
dogs in this way and see what would if I
could make something out of it, because there's no guarantees
with all of this, right, I mean, I spent a
long time working on this kind of hoping it would
get published in kind of just trusting the process.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
The name is perfect. What was it like to photograph them?
I mean you did it at the shelter or the forest?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah, yeah, I did them so all the part the
first images were done where they were at the shelter
or a foster home, through a rescue or shelter, or
at a rescue, and it was I tried to make
some comment in the writing about that with you could
just sometimes just see the real sadness with some of
these dogs, you know they I mean imagine, for whatever
(16:47):
reason their life, they're the most loyal companions ever, and
for whatever reason, they find themselves in these circumstances that
no one would want, right and sometimes you could just
see hope, I just I just hope to capture them
in a way that did them justice. Showing doing them
in a way that captured them.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
I think you did, because you know, we don't really
know the history of the dogs in the shelters because
some of them are returned and then some of them
are just strikes going on the street and caught and
brought in, so they really maybe don't know of a home.
That's also something that you know, people have to deal
(17:28):
with when they rescue we really don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, you do. I was able to collect as much
as I could, but of course, in instances, like you said,
you just don't know the entire backstory. I was able
to fill in as many gaps as I could, but
there were obviously circumstances where you don't entirely know.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Do you think you'll do a follow up?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Oh gosh, I don't know. I don't know. This was
quite this project was quite an undertaking, much more than
I ever anticipated at its inception. But I don't know.
You never say never. Right now, I'm I'm kind of
sitting in the present with this, with this book and
hope and hope that they can do some good and
help these dogs, because this was really the intention behind
(18:13):
doing the book. It was one of the most outside
of being a parent to a young child. It's one
of the hardest things I've ever done to see this through.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
You know, I'm glancing through it now because you really
do give a very good description of each of the
dog of what you know, and all in all, some
of them, some of them have really spent a lot
of time in the shelter before they're adopted.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yeah, I wanted to point that out in some of
the data I collected on these dogs, it was kind
of astounding how long some of these dogs were in
these situations for such a long time, and some of
them there were cases of multiple multiple returns as well,
even you know, since I photographed them the first time,
So they all have they all have a little bit
(18:57):
different stories. But I also think it's really important to
point out in all of this is that there are
really wonderful people who dedicate themselves to this work. That's
really important because without the shelters and rescues, we would
not be able to kind of match make with these
dogs right and have these great transformations on both sides.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
O these they're angels, the forsters and the rescuers, you know,
especially the ones that go out and try to catch
them in the street and then care for them, and
rescue is an exhausting, exhausting career, if you want to
call it that. And then the ones that they bring
them to different locations, so they'll drive one dog two
(19:42):
hours and they meet up with another volunteer and they
take them on these journeys. You see it all over.
There's people who fly them from one shelter to another
when it gets overbooked and they don't have enough space.
And I think that's sometimes good because sometimes dogs who
stay long in one shelter, you know, it's just not
(20:02):
happening there. Maybe it's just the area, certain areas like
certain dogs, and then they should really be moved. But
it really is a spectacular book, and I wish you
lots of good luck with it and for anybody the
name of it is abandoned. Of course, if this is
in the window of a bookstore, you are going to
(20:23):
get it. Because the dog on the cover is stunning.
I can't decide. You said her.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Name is Sheila, Yes, Sheila, Yes.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Her eyes are just either she's begging for something or
she's trying to tell her something. But she is a
spectacular dog. And I'll tell you your photographs are spot on.
And you could tell you did a lot of work,
because you know with the shelters that you got involved
with the amount of time that they were there, and
like you said, a lot of them were rescued and
(20:53):
then brought back for whatever reason. Sadly, you know you
have a lot of accolades in the book of people
who really have appreciated it. What is it one are
you saying one thing without a dog, a life is
only half lived. And that really is true, doctor Jane
goodall right, yes, and that's true for the sake of
(21:15):
all dogs and cats and all these even horses. It's
phenomenal the amount of animals out there. So I really
want to thank you for being on and enlightening us.
Then I hope that people do pick up this book
because this is something that we really have to address
with the amount of animals that need homes. With three
(21:36):
hundred and thirty million people in this country, everybody should
have a dog. Get We have two cars, we have
more than one pocketbook, more than one phone or TV.
So I wish you lots of good luck. Do you
want to let any of our listeners know if there's
you know, a website that they could contact you for something?
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Oh? Sure, sure, yes, you can find me Catherine Carver
dot com and that's k A T. H E R
I N E c A R. Vias and Victor E.
R dot com. And you can find more information about
the book and information on how to order the book
as well. And I'm really grateful to have spent the
time with you today show.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I appreciate it. I wish you lots of good luck
and we'll post when the show posts. Of course, the
picture will be on, the book will be on, and
will include the website if people want to get a
hold of you. Thank you so much so, I want
to thank my listeners and thank Katherine for being on that.
I want to thank Mark and everybody. Have a great
(22:36):
day and remember to live life unleash. I'll see you
next time. Bye bye. Let's Talk Pets every week on
demand only on Petlife Radio dot com.
This is Pet Life Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Let's talk pats Hi, everybody, Cheryl from Unleashed and today
I am very glad to have Katherine Carver with us,
and she wrote a gorgeous book and we'll discuss that.
(00:27):
Welcome Catherine. I'm glad that I have you on the show.
This is going to be a very interesting show.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Well, thank you so much for having me in. I'm
happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
So before we get into the book and all of
your why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, the main reason I'm here is because of my
book Abandoned, chronicling the journeys of once forsaken dogs. I'm
actually originally trained as an attorney, so I work full
time and I've worked on this project for over a decade,
which was inspired by my very first rescue dog, who
changed my life and brought me back to photography. And
(01:04):
I just wanted to learn more about what was happening
to these abandoned dogs. So my first dog, Biscuit, set
me on this path and this become very interested in
the dog over population crisis.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh yeah, I have a rescue I never went to
a shelter before, and I got my Tilly McGee and heartbreaking.
And it's just for every dog in a shelter. It's
a human's fault. For every dog that needs to be
put down. You know, it's a human's fault. They have
to stop buying and breeding dogs oodle doodles and they're
(01:40):
mixed with this and that. You know, it's like going
to the supermarket. If there's fifty oranges on the shelf,
that's the fifty oranges you pick from. And there is
something very special about a rescue dog because they know
they're rescued. Now, when you got when you got your dog, Victory,
(02:00):
was that his name when you got when you got him?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
No, the dog that I shared with you that I
presently have, her name is Victory. She's our second rescue dog.
She's a Shetland sheep dog. But the first dog that
I had, Biscuit, who is pictured at the front of
my book, whom the book is dedicated to, that was
our very first rescue dog. He was a Tricolor shelty
found wandering the back roads in North Carolina and was
(02:25):
brought to a rescue organization in Maryland. And that's how
we were able to meet him and adopt him. So
how did you get the name Victory. She came at
the rescue. She came from a rescue in Michigan, and
she had the name and she knew it and we
kept it, just like we did it with Biscuit. He
was given the name at the rescue and we kept it.
How old was she when you got her Victory? We
(02:48):
think was approximately two. We're guessing based on at the
time the vet, you know, they check her out and
I think.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
They go buy the teeth or something. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, And in nine days actually will have her eleven years. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
That's really amazing because unfortunately dogs aren't really living that
long with all this all these you know, illnesses around.
You know, I used to have when I was a kid.
My dogs were like nineteen and fifteen and my cats
were like twenty or eighteen and stuff. But when I
got Tilly, they said they got her off the street.
(03:25):
But when I did freedom of information, they had found
her in a cage. They named her Phoebe. You know,
they come up with all these cutesy names because they
think that'll help, and I guess sometimes it does. But
I didn't want a Phoebe. I wanted a Tilly. And
I think Tilly had to have a middle name, so
I named it Tilly McGee. I've had her two years,
(03:45):
just two years. She just celebrated her third birthday and
I got her at eleven. But I have to tell
you took all of these photos in this book, correct.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yes, I did. They're all my photos and words, yes.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
And I have to tell listeners it's all black and white.
It is so gripping their faces. I've come to think
that the look of a dog's ears in their eyes
tells everything. That's really their expression, you know, the way
their ears move, the way their eyes do. I know
(04:19):
when I talk to my dog, she's got brown eyes,
and you know, I could tell she's listening to me
because her eyes moved back and forth, you know, and
here I am, I'm talking to my dog. But I
believe that they understand.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yes, i'd agree.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Now the dogs that they were different shelters, right that
you went to.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Yes, there was one primary shelter and then about four
rescue organizations. And I live in the mid Atlantic and Maryland,
so I worked with these organizations in order to photograph
the dogs. Also, they were integral in helping me get
adopter information so I could photograph the dogs about a
(04:59):
year after. So in most cases about here separates the
photographs and at the time I photographed the dogs initially
while they resided at a shelter rescue organization. I provided
them immediately with a color image that does not appear
in the book to help get that dog adopted.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And it worked. I mean, some dogs, you know, stay
in the shelter long then we hope and all of
the dogs, except for a few, we don't have to
go into that because that's heartbreaking, and some dogs are returned.
I just don't understand you. That's a commitment once you
get a dog. I mean, I take my dog to
the dog park and there's one family sadly he has
(05:40):
to rehome his dog because he now has a child
and the child has allergies that you can understand and
hopefully they'll find a good family. But you know, once
you adopt an animal, the reasons we can't afford the
vet caree, we can't afford food, and I cook for
my dog. One woman on one of my links, because
(06:02):
I deal with a lot of rescues and I have
a lot of shelters that I'm hooked up with, people
would go through the trash to feed their dog if
they could afford it, And there are organizations, especially near
where you live in Virginia, there are organizations for seniors.
If they cannot afford to feed their dog, there's a
(06:24):
number they could call and they will help them. And
there's some other organizations where if an elderly person, a
senior needs to have surgery or something, they have places
that could help forster the dog. So there are communities
if people look into it, that could help people. So
we keep the dogs because a lot of this with COVID,
(06:47):
A lot of people adopted dogs because they will lonely
and then COVID is over, or you go back to
work and now you've got this dog. And there was
even one gal that I had on my show because
some people couldn't get out, she was able to provide
them with a link in their house on their phone
or their TV where they could see dogs or sea
(07:11):
cats for comfort, so they weren't alone alone. But I
think the biggest thing with the rescues is people have
to stop buying dogs and they have to fix their dogs.
I mean, when I go to the park, there are
some you know, male dogs, they are still intact and
it's mostly male owners. And if you say when are
you going to fix them? Oh, I'm not. I'm going
(07:32):
to breed them. We don't need any more dogs because
the reality is there's too many that are looking for
homes that if there weren't as many, maybe they would
have a good chance. The shelters that you dealt with,
how many beds did they have? Was it a big shelter?
It was?
Speaker 1 (07:51):
And just to give you context, I photoed. This was
a decade long project, so I did most of the
photographing in two thousand and thirteen through two than in fifteen.
And some of the organizations are actually not running anymore
due to COVID, but a couple of them are. But
with the shelter, I would say it was a medium.
I don't know exactly how many beds per se the
(08:13):
space they had, it's a pretty good size.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah. See that's it, you know. And then there's some
because I have friends who go to shelters walk the dogs,
there are some shelters that you don't even walk. See
what broke my heart because I had never gotten a
dog at a shelter, you know, I had my dogs
when I was younger, and then I got being single,
then you get into cats, but this was a planned relationship.
(08:40):
I wanted a dog, and I tried going through forsters
and that didn't work out right for me. So I
finally went to a shelter, which, like I said, was heartbreaking.
But this shelter you were allowed to walk along, which
some shelters don't allow that. You look at a picture,
and there's some well even in the shelter, they have
(09:02):
dogs that are forced it out that they have no
room for them, so they're on their website. But if
I would have looked at Tilly on a website or
a picture and not seeing her in real life, I
don't know if I would have adopted her. She had
personality when they brought her out, you know, I walked
(09:22):
through and it said very friendly, you know, gets along
with other dogs, which I wanted a friendly dog because
I want to I'm social. I want a social dog,
and she is and she's great with kids. She's not perfect,
but she's great with kids. So I don't have any kids,
but when you go to the park, there's always kids
(09:44):
and they always run around and you don't want any problems.
But then they asked me if I wanted to, you know,
meet her outside, and she just she had personality, and
that's when I decided, yup. I met her on a Saturday,
she got fixed on a Monday, and I took a
home on a Tuesday. So I guess that's what you say,
(10:05):
love at first sight.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah, and similar to what you're saying a lot of
the adopters, because there's a narrative accompanies each dog's photograph,
and I interviewed people up the shelter and rescue organizations
for the first photographs of the dog and then likewise
with the second image of the state of the dog.
I interviewed the adopters and a lot of them would
(10:28):
say that they saw a picture or they meant the
dog and they just knew that that was the one
for them. Sometimes they would have dogs who had previously
passed away and come upon another shelter rescue dog and
it just was just, you know, just smitten and and
that it's just kind of like kiss me it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
It just you just know, yeah, and the dogs know.
But you know, the longer a dog is in the
shelter and it depends. I don't think my Chilly was
in that long because she looks sad when I walk by.
But you know, she's in a cage. You know, I
mean people in jail have more space than these dogs,
(11:10):
but they did have you know, they're all on cots
and they were cleaner. You know, they really did take
good care of the animals. But you could only take
as much good care as you could take good care.
There's a lot of dogs there. They need when they
get shut down by being in a cage. That's why
exercise is the key for us and for dogs, they
(11:33):
need to be taken out and a look see and
you know, you just see if the dog is for you.
I think the eyes tell you when you look in
the dog's eyes and they look back at you, and
if it clicks with them, and it clicks with you,
and you just think of you know, early morning, I'm
getting up early.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, I think you just know and they do too.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So how did you come about wanting to do this?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
So I alluded to this earlier. So my husband and
I at the time, before we had our daughter, we
rescued biscuit from a rescue organization out within an hour
of where we live, and we were we were we
just called around and this one rescue organization said I
(12:21):
have one, and we didn't even see a photo of
him at the time, and we met him and we
just said, you know, we're going to adopt him. And
of course they do background check on you and whatnot.
We were able to adopt him, and I just couldn't
believe the transformation. You know, he he was so shy,
(12:42):
he was he he turned into a completely different dog
within you know, weeks to months. He really gained confidence,
He really came out of his shell. He began to
enjoy his life, you know, he began to trust. And
I just couldn't believe the change, and also the change
within me. I had never had a dog in childhood.
(13:05):
This Biscuit bar for both of us, our first dog
ever who happened to be a rescue dog, and he
just really opened my eyes to what is why are
these dogs abandoned? Why are they left? And I just
literally I know this sounds strange, but literally, on a
summer day in twenty twelve, the idea just kind of
(13:26):
came to me, this concept of trying to follow these dogs,
and it kind of evolved evolved over time, and I
just really wanted to know and raise awareness about how
not only does dog rescued and adoption improve the dog's
life immensely, but there's also so many benefits to the humans.
(13:47):
Our lives are really enrenched, and so I wanted to
find a way to, like I said, just bring awareness
because these are just incredible sentient beings and I cannot
imagine not ever, you know, I can't imagine not having
a rescue dog. We will always have a rescue dog.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I'm glad to hear that. And it's true. They are
your life changes. I mean your life changes. I have
a life in between walking and carrying and being with
my dog, and it's fine with me. But what what
made you wanted? I mean, doing it in black and
white was brilliant, But what made you do that? What
(14:30):
made you side that.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I wanted to do that? I think because the black
and white kind of kept everything. The black backgrounds kept
the common thread between all of these dogs and also
really kept the focus on each individual dog and they're
all square, also keeping it, you know, a common thread
continuity within the image, and it really I just thought
(14:55):
it would really get to the essence of each dog.
And I was hoping to to help portray like a
juxtaposition between the images that you can see some sort
of emotional physical change between the images photographically. That is
why I did it in black and white.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Really, picture is phenomenal. That dog's eyes and their ears.
That dog on the cover is gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Her name is Sheila, and I thought she just encompassed
the whole project in an image, you know, And I
thought it was striking and eye catching for people as well.
And I also I didn't name it, you know, like
finding Home or something like that, because I did. I
did keep the title Abandoned because I really wanted to,
you know, that raise attention to humans can be so kind,
(15:43):
right and adopt these dogs and give these dogs a
new life, while at the same time we as collectively
disposed of these dogs so easily. And it's just it's
just unbelievable. It was kind of an unfolding with this project.
I did not know how it was going to turn out.
I just had the concept of trying to photograph these
(16:03):
dogs in this way and see what would if I
could make something out of it, because there's no guarantees
with all of this, right, I mean, I spent a
long time working on this kind of hoping it would
get published in kind of just trusting the process.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
The name is perfect. What was it like to photograph them?
I mean you did it at the shelter or the forest?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah, yeah, I did them so all the part the
first images were done where they were at the shelter
or a foster home, through a rescue or shelter, or
at a rescue, and it was I tried to make
some comment in the writing about that with you could
just sometimes just see the real sadness with some of
these dogs, you know they I mean imagine, for whatever
(16:47):
reason their life, they're the most loyal companions ever, and
for whatever reason, they find themselves in these circumstances that
no one would want, right and sometimes you could just
see hope, I just I just hope to capture them
in a way that did them justice. Showing doing them
in a way that captured them.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
I think you did, because you know, we don't really
know the history of the dogs in the shelters because
some of them are returned and then some of them
are just strikes going on the street and caught and
brought in, so they really maybe don't know of a home.
That's also something that you know, people have to deal
(17:28):
with when they rescue we really don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, you do. I was able to collect as much
as I could, but of course, in instances, like you said,
you just don't know the entire backstory. I was able
to fill in as many gaps as I could, but
there were obviously circumstances where you don't entirely know.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Do you think you'll do a follow up?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Oh gosh, I don't know. I don't know. This was
quite this project was quite an undertaking, much more than
I ever anticipated at its inception. But I don't know.
You never say never. Right now, I'm I'm kind of
sitting in the present with this, with this book and
hope and hope that they can do some good and
help these dogs, because this was really the intention behind
(18:13):
doing the book. It was one of the most outside
of being a parent to a young child. It's one
of the hardest things I've ever done to see this through.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
You know, I'm glancing through it now because you really
do give a very good description of each of the
dog of what you know, and all in all, some
of them, some of them have really spent a lot
of time in the shelter before they're adopted.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yeah, I wanted to point that out in some of
the data I collected on these dogs, it was kind
of astounding how long some of these dogs were in
these situations for such a long time, and some of
them there were cases of multiple multiple returns as well,
even you know, since I photographed them the first time,
So they all have they all have a little bit
(18:57):
different stories. But I also think it's really important to
point out in all of this is that there are
really wonderful people who dedicate themselves to this work. That's
really important because without the shelters and rescues, we would
not be able to kind of match make with these
dogs right and have these great transformations on both sides.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
O these they're angels, the forsters and the rescuers, you know,
especially the ones that go out and try to catch
them in the street and then care for them, and
rescue is an exhausting, exhausting career, if you want to
call it that. And then the ones that they bring
them to different locations, so they'll drive one dog two
(19:42):
hours and they meet up with another volunteer and they
take them on these journeys. You see it all over.
There's people who fly them from one shelter to another
when it gets overbooked and they don't have enough space.
And I think that's sometimes good because sometimes dogs who
stay long in one shelter, you know, it's just not
(20:02):
happening there. Maybe it's just the area, certain areas like
certain dogs, and then they should really be moved. But
it really is a spectacular book, and I wish you
lots of good luck with it and for anybody the
name of it is abandoned. Of course, if this is
in the window of a bookstore, you are going to
(20:23):
get it. Because the dog on the cover is stunning.
I can't decide. You said her.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Name is Sheila, Yes, Sheila, Yes.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Her eyes are just either she's begging for something or
she's trying to tell her something. But she is a
spectacular dog. And I'll tell you your photographs are spot on.
And you could tell you did a lot of work,
because you know with the shelters that you got involved
with the amount of time that they were there, and
like you said, a lot of them were rescued and
(20:53):
then brought back for whatever reason. Sadly, you know you
have a lot of accolades in the book of people
who really have appreciated it. What is it one are
you saying one thing without a dog, a life is
only half lived. And that really is true, doctor Jane
goodall right, yes, and that's true for the sake of
(21:15):
all dogs and cats and all these even horses. It's
phenomenal the amount of animals out there. So I really
want to thank you for being on and enlightening us.
Then I hope that people do pick up this book
because this is something that we really have to address
with the amount of animals that need homes. With three
(21:36):
hundred and thirty million people in this country, everybody should
have a dog. Get We have two cars, we have
more than one pocketbook, more than one phone or TV.
So I wish you lots of good luck. Do you
want to let any of our listeners know if there's
you know, a website that they could contact you for something?
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Oh? Sure, sure, yes, you can find me Catherine Carver
dot com and that's k A T. H E R
I N E c A R. Vias and Victor E.
R dot com. And you can find more information about
the book and information on how to order the book
as well. And I'm really grateful to have spent the
time with you today show.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I appreciate it. I wish you lots of good luck
and we'll post when the show posts. Of course, the
picture will be on, the book will be on, and
will include the website if people want to get a
hold of you. Thank you so much so, I want
to thank my listeners and thank Katherine for being on that.
I want to thank Mark and everybody. Have a great
(22:36):
day and remember to live life unleash. I'll see you
next time. Bye bye. Let's Talk Pets every week on
demand only on Petlife Radio dot com.
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