Black shelter animals weren’t getting adopted. A photographer had an idea: glam shots

Maggie Epling was in search of an opportunity to do one thing good throughout her summer season break from school. She wished to seek out an exercise that mixed her pursuits and she or he discovered the proper alternative at an area animal shelter.

“I thought of volunteering and I’ve at all times beloved animals and images,” she informed NPR.

For the previous two weeks, Epling has been taking portraits of cats and canines on the Pike County Animal Shelter in Pike, Kentucky.

The thought got here to her after studying articles saying that animals with good photographs usually tend to get adopted than these with out. “So I simply referred to as the shelter and requested if I may are available in and so they appeared actually grateful and appreciative,” stated Epling, who’s a scholar on the University of Kentucky.

After listening to from different volunteers that black cats and canines battle to get adopted, she has been particularly devoted to creating positive that these animals get nice photos. “They suppose a part of it’s superstition about black cats particularly, but it surely sort of carries over to black canines, ” she stated.

Epling stated that the shelter is in a rural space that is tough to succeed in. But since her photographs had been added to the shelter’s Facebook web page, “they are saying they cannot consider what number of calls they’re getting.”

Part of her success, she stated, is that she will get to know the canines earlier than taking their portrait. “That’s how I get a way of their persona,” she stated.

There’s Blinky, a pit bull combine with one eye. She’s been on the shelter the longest, and Epling hopes their latest photoshoot will result in a brand new residence for the pooch.

“She completely likes to exit and run and is a brilliant candy canine that loves taking photographs. She simply smiles for me and all the things. I’ve actually fallen in love along with her and I’m hoping that someone will come and take her.”

There’s additionally Jersey, a one-year-old feminine combined breed that Epling describes as calm and well-mannered. Meanwhile, Tiny is a small combined breed feminine with one blue eye and one brown eye with a foolish persona, Epling stated.

The phenomenon wherein potential pet adopters shun darkish coated canines is named black canine syndrome; for felines, it is black cat syndrome. But it’s unclear how a lot the difficulty truly impacts pet adoptions. A 2002 research revealed within the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science discovered that black fur negatively influenced adoption charges for each canines and cats. According to the report, “Black canines had the least chance of being adopted in comparison with the reference coat colour of black and tan.” And canines of all different colours, reminiscent of purple, merle, and tricolor canines, “had been most well-liked solely barely over black and tan.”

Meanwhile, a 2013 research that examined how lengthy canines remained in two New York shelters concluded {that a} pet’s coat colour had no impact on their size of keep. It additionally famous that Black canine syndrome could also be restricted to sure components of the world the place cultural traditions connect which means to the colour of an animal.

As of Tuesday, Epling stated at the very least one in all her glamour canines had been adopted. Winona, a small beagle, discovered a without end residence final week. In that case, the particular person got here in and stated, “We need to undertake this canine as a result of we noticed the photograph on Facebook,” Epling stated.

“And once I got here in at the moment folks on the shelter informed me that I had no thought how many individuals had are available in and bragged about my photographs and talked about how the photographs made them need to come to the shelter,” she added proudly.

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