The Right Photo Can Get A Pet Adopted, and These Animals Are The Perfect Proof

If animal shelters got professional photographs of their pets, these animals would be in their forever homes SO fast.

Elana

Published in Animals
November 3, 2017

The Right Photo Can Get A Pet Adopted, and These Animals Are The Perfect Proof

I imagine that working in an animal shelter is a stressful job. There are so many wonderful animals that you know would make the perfect pets for so many homes but bringing families together is trickier than you might think. Have you ever browsed the website for your local shelter? The photos have a tendency to be pretty lackluster. They certainly don't bring out the best in the pets up for adoption in most cases and that's truly unfortunate!

Florida’s Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) decided to put a theory to test, the theory being that beautiful photos of great animals make a HUGE difference in finding them families to adopt into. By lining professional photos up side by side we can see with our own two eyes just how powerful a mere photograph can be in bringing out the best in a pet. Recently, OCAS broke a 48 year-long adoption record and now everyone wants to hear all the juicy details about how photography played a huge role. Speaking to PetaPixel, OCAS said:

In the past, intake photos (which are taken immediately upon the seizure of the animal) might be the only image a person sees. But those pics are mainly for documentation, and identification for lost owners — they are not quality images. Often the animal is frightened, injured, and overall doesn’t connect with a prospective family.
For a long time, this was the only or primary means of photography some shelters had, including us. A quality image makes the difference in motivating someone to come meet an animal in person — especially in rural communities. Amazing photography, coupled with social reach, have helped us take adoptions to new levels.

The theory makes perfect sense, so last year OCAS hired a professional photographer by the name of Albert Harris. Previously, Harris had been on a volunteer basis but his work has such a clearly profound impact that he landed a solid job out of the gig! But the images truly speak for themselves, OCAS is truly on to something. They went on to say:

Nothing compares to a captivating image. We find that people are connecting in a way with shelter animals that we’ve not seen before. Photography allows a family to see the dog’s personality, playfulness and of course – complete adorableness.