My Photo Series “Demystification Of Voluntary Work” Shows What Really Happens At An Animal Shelter
I have always loved photography and, like many people, I used to do it as a hobby. Initially, I only took pictures during my travels and vacations. But at some point, I realized that I was not happy with the way my life was converging so I needed to make a decision: was I going to keep that way or would I make a turn? Fortunately, I did turn and bumped into photography.
Animals have been a part of my life forever and I wanted to help them but I didn’t know exactly how to do it. So, talking to a friend who is a volunteer at an animal rescue NGO, I found out that photographers are actually really needed at this kind of NGO. The idea is simple: better photos, more chances to be adopted. Therefore, as I was taking photography classes, I volunteered. It was like love at first sight. However, every time I mentioned that I was a volunteer at an animal shelter, people always got that image of volunteers playing and petting the animals. I felt like no one really knew how hard and strenuous it can be.
Having that in mind, I chose voluntary work as the theme of my coursework (against my teacher’s will). And the reception of my photos was so great (not only by my teacher but also by the volunteers and even by a well-known pet photographer on social media) that I finally had the courage to start something new for myself combining two of my passions: photography and animals.
So, here are some photos of my work called “Demystification of Voluntary Work”. Hope it inspires you to help and to respect this amazing job even more.
More info: Instagram | Ksetani Photography | Facebook
What does it take to be a volunteer at a rescued animal center? (The word written is Welcome)
I was inspired to do this project when I was taking a photography course, and I had to prepare a photo essay for the class. When I introduced the idea to the course instructor, she thought that the photoshoot would be very shallow in the sense that it would only show cute pets.
However, I had been working as a volunteer photographer for while with this nonprofit in Brazil, and I knew that the course instructor was not alone in her misconceptions about the work at an animal rescue organization. Thus, I decided to prepare this work to show the usually unthought and unrevealed side of volunteers working with rescued pets.
Dedication
Hard work
I thought this photo project would be a great way to show how hard volunteer work can be, and that it could open people’s eyes to the fact that help is needed. In some way, I guess that it raises awareness of the importance of the job for these little creatures that we all love!
Photography started as a hobby – I wanted to have an escape from my routine as a physician. In the beginning, I would mostly do landscape photography.
However, after a while, I found my true passion after taking photos of my own pets at home. So, I thought that this is something I wanted to do. With this, my interest in photography started growing more and more, and I decided to start taking courses to improve my techniques.
I think volunteer work is a commitment, as much as any other paid job someone may have. Some people think that because it is volunteer work, they may come and go at their pleasure. However, when you commit to being a volunteer, people start counting on you. Also, when being a volunteer, you have to be open to working with whatever the organization needs at the moment. We can’t be picky about the kind of job we want to do. So, before applying for any volunteer work, we need to really think about whether we’re able to commit or not.
Adaptation to any situation
Responsibility
Since I moved to Canada, and because of the pandemics, I haven’t been able to do shelter photography anymore. However, back in Brazil, I always felt that it was rewarding. I love trying to capture their personalities through my lens. Animals have the power to make us feel good, and I think a good portrait of an animal shelter would increase their chances of finding a forever home. Every time I went back to the shelter and I heard that an animal I photographed had been adopted, my heart was full of joy.
I would like to think this project made a difference! I’ve heard of so many stories of animals being adopted after professional photographers taking good photos of them. If “Desmystification of Voluntary Work” raised curiosity in at least one reader to go and visit a local shelter, I will already be happy enough.
Patience
It’s important to value all kinds of work
If you can’t decide between adopting or shopping please visit the local shelter and try to find if there is not a pet that deserves a chance in their hearts, before deciding to buy one. I believe that animals are good in nature, and if someone rejected them, it is because their tutors were not prepared to give them the love they needed.
There are a lot of animals out there that may never have a home if we can’t give them a small chance. And usually, it pays back: they are so grateful and give us so much love and joy!
And having the ability to multi-task
Having a strong heart for those battles we can’t win
But always going into battle believing we will win!
And above all of this
Love
And a little dance too!
Are you up for it?
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Everyone who volunteers to help animals is a hero, especially to the animals.
Totally agree! That's why I wanted to show how amazing all volunteers are!
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I can't volunteer at animal centers. I will cry the whole day and then take ALL the cats home.
Absolutely beautiful pictures. I've been thinking about volunteering at a nearby shelter and I think this finally gave me the nudge I needed to do it. Thank you!
Thank you! It makes me so happy to see that my work helped you to decide!! That's the reason I post it!! 😊
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This is my retirement plan, fostering and shelter volunteering. All animals. This was a great post!
I would spend all day at the animal shelter near me, but I am "too young" to responsibly take them out. I know they don't allow people under 18 to walk the dogs by themselves in case a dog bites and they may get sued but it is still so annoying. I have plenty of experience walking dogs and would never blame the shelter if I did get nipped or bitten - it would probably be because of some miss-read body signal or the dog's past experience. 2 years until I am 18, I guess I have to wait. I think on my 18th birthday the first thing I am going to do is bike over there and spend hours taking the dogs out. Yes, I have plenty of animals in my house that I love and play with, but those dogs need someone to love them too.
I think you are taking the right approach to their insurance requirements. In the UK I have a lot of work experience students from the age of 14, not sure if this is something you do where you live? If you really want to be taken seriously, because the staff can sometimes spend a lot of time training a new volunteer only for them never to come back so can be guarded with newbies, I’d start fund raising or collecting bedding and donations for them now. Personally I can’t help but get defensive the minute someone mentions the cat or dog team (especially the dog team) because none of the animals on my round, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, chickens, geese etc ever get anywhere near the donations or volunteers the cats and dogs get, it makes me very sad for them.
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My local shelter just started a program where the dogs/cats can be checked out of the shelter,either for the evening or even a weekend. I'm not sure if adoption is on the rise since starting this but I do know that lots of people participate. If anything it could be a trial run and hopefully they fall in love and decide to keep them permanently. There are so many animals that need loving homes,for every 5 adopted another 25 are surrendered. The shelters work is never done.
Thats a wonderful ideia. An that experience gives the future tutors an ideia of how is going to be after adopting reducing the risk of returns too! 👏🏼
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Animal rights are so needed! Especially when it comes to abuse, cruelty and mistreatment of any animal! It is a commitment for the life of the animals you choose, and if you don’t have time for a pet, don’t get one, and leave it alone all day, or have an outside pet on a chain all the time, they love to be with us, and it’s torture to love a human, who doesn’t want to have you in their home, or give love back.. every animal, is important, and even just one will change your life. And theirs!
Thank you for all those who volunteer, you're changing all the lives of these animals.
Any non-medical animal shelter volunteer has to understand that they aren’t going to be playing with kittens and puppies all day. They’re going to be cleaning and disinfecting cages, cleaning and disinfecting carriers, washing towels and blankets, etc, etc, etc. Grunt work. But also plenty of moments where, while you’re picking up messes, you get to pet the animals for a few minutes. Maybe even bond with some. Makes all the grunt work totally worth it.
when i was a kid i wanted to volunteer but I was under 18. now, I'm reconsidering. should I volunteer?
Yes, if you have regular availability to do so, then absolutely yes.
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Great pics! In the USA, people have the right to volunteer and take photos and video at publicly funded shelters, and to share what they've witnessed. This is helpful not only for adopting out more animals, but for reforming regressive shelters. Info on the No Kill Advocacy Center site explains your rights and how to reform things, like a growing number of places have already. Individuals learn, connect, and make the difference.
Fabulous people every one of them!! I fear that I would walk out with a bunch of cats and dogs myself... I just couldn't leave them...
It actually happens to most of us :D There aren't many who didn't end up with a pet from the shelter, including myself :)
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Here's the deal. Whether or not you choose to volunteer, these homeless animals are still there. They're still alone, scared and still waiting for the unknown..But with YOU there, they have a better chance at succeeding. Because there's nothing quite like having a friend who supports you when you're at your lowest point. Be a friend for that animal in need, and I promise the reward will be much more than them finding a forever home. The real reward is knowing in your heart that you helped that happen....you helped them get thru the tough times so they could be ready to thrive in their new forever home.
I've been a volunteer dog-walker for over four years, and my friends all praise me for what I do for the dogs. While I started doing it for them, I believe I get more out of it than they do now. It's one of the best uses of my time. One of my Facebook friends started working at the shelter, and she can't stop talking about how much she loves it. About half a year after I began walking the dogs, I bought my pocket camera one day and took selfies with each of the dogs I walked. I do this most of the time now, and have an album of over 700 photos in it. Last year I adopted a cat from the same shelter, and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I volunteered at a shelter in high school. I went every Saturday. I worked in the puppy/ kitten room, which was not nearly as fun as it sounds. People dumped animals who were too young to be on their own, parvo was rampant and they were always beyond capacity. There were times I'd walk through the door and not recognize a single animal there. I know they weren't all spontaneously adopted. In short, it was a special version of hell. But the animals needed someone in their corner, even if for just 4 hours every Saturday. So I'd give myself 5 mins in the feed room to cry whenever it got to be too much. Then I'd suck it up and give those little guys my very best.
Yes, you are right. It's very hard work, and it requires a lot of strength for "the battles we can't win". But it's also one of the most rewarding experiences ever. You know that your work is really needed and you are doing something good for the animals, and you receive lots of love from them in return (and can pet them without restrictions:) ).
I am a supervisor at a cat sanctuary. I work with 5 other people and we have 15 seniors. Very rewarding and also, at times, quite sad. Teamwork is super important, you must leave your ego at the door. Be ready to clean really gross stuff, be patient, wear crappy clothes. Enjoy the love!
Excellent series, both passionate and compassionate. I photograph shelter cats too and I like the mood that each shot conveys, so emotional.
Thank you! I am very happy my photos pleased such a amazing cat photographer like you! 😊
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Thank you for taking a time to read it !!
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I could never work in shelters where they kill pups and cats. I would be devastated. In no kill shelter, however, if I would not have to work most of the day to survive, I would gladly volunteer.
Only the employees at a regular shelter participate in a euthanasia and then only when they absolutely have to. No kill shelters are great, but they will often turn away animals that are not healthy. Regular shelters need volunteers as well, and if an animal is injured or sick they will do their very best to get that animal the care it needs, but sometimes they can't be saved and it is kinder to the animal to put it down humanely than let it suffer and die anyway. I volunteered at a shelter for 6 years and fostered cats and kittens as well. It's never easy, but it's very rewarding.
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I’ve been waiting my whole life to be old enough to volunteer at an animal shelter. I’ve always wanted to be a vet. I’m now old enough but too busy with school so next summer I plan to find one
Oh this brought back some painful yet sweet memories. One of my first jobs was at our local Humane Society. I ended up being the head 'cat lady'. The only thing sadder than seeing one that is too weak or mistreated to recover is seeing a dog that has spent over a year in a brick kennel watch other young, brighter, 'prettier' dogs walk down the aisle with their new owners.
Thank you! I volunteer but not with animals. I have a beautiful rescue cat but am allergic to both cats and dogs and have some other health problems which keep me out of the paid "work force" in my original field. I do get to teach sailing at an Adaptive Sailing Program and absolutely love it. Volunteering is challenging, fun, and rewarding for me and I'm lucky that I can share my love of sailing with others. Still hoping my cat will warm up to the idea of living on a boat someday but she's the boss, so we'll see.
I tried to volunteer once but they were like "Covid and also you're not old enough" D:
Everyone who volunteers to help animals is a hero, especially to the animals.
Totally agree! That's why I wanted to show how amazing all volunteers are!
Load More Replies... I can't volunteer at animal centers. I will cry the whole day and then take ALL the cats home.
Absolutely beautiful pictures. I've been thinking about volunteering at a nearby shelter and I think this finally gave me the nudge I needed to do it. Thank you!
Thank you! It makes me so happy to see that my work helped you to decide!! That's the reason I post it!! 😊
Load More Replies... This is my retirement plan, fostering and shelter volunteering. All animals. This was a great post!
I would spend all day at the animal shelter near me, but I am "too young" to responsibly take them out. I know they don't allow people under 18 to walk the dogs by themselves in case a dog bites and they may get sued but it is still so annoying. I have plenty of experience walking dogs and would never blame the shelter if I did get nipped or bitten - it would probably be because of some miss-read body signal or the dog's past experience. 2 years until I am 18, I guess I have to wait. I think on my 18th birthday the first thing I am going to do is bike over there and spend hours taking the dogs out. Yes, I have plenty of animals in my house that I love and play with, but those dogs need someone to love them too.
I think you are taking the right approach to their insurance requirements. In the UK I have a lot of work experience students from the age of 14, not sure if this is something you do where you live? If you really want to be taken seriously, because the staff can sometimes spend a lot of time training a new volunteer only for them never to come back so can be guarded with newbies, I’d start fund raising or collecting bedding and donations for them now. Personally I can’t help but get defensive the minute someone mentions the cat or dog team (especially the dog team) because none of the animals on my round, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, chickens, geese etc ever get anywhere near the donations or volunteers the cats and dogs get, it makes me very sad for them.
Load More Replies... My local shelter just started a program where the dogs/cats can be checked out of the shelter,either for the evening or even a weekend. I'm not sure if adoption is on the rise since starting this but I do know that lots of people participate. If anything it could be a trial run and hopefully they fall in love and decide to keep them permanently. There are so many animals that need loving homes,for every 5 adopted another 25 are surrendered. The shelters work is never done.
Thats a wonderful ideia. An that experience gives the future tutors an ideia of how is going to be after adopting reducing the risk of returns too! 👏🏼
Load More Replies... Animal rights are so needed! Especially when it comes to abuse, cruelty and mistreatment of any animal! It is a commitment for the life of the animals you choose, and if you don’t have time for a pet, don’t get one, and leave it alone all day, or have an outside pet on a chain all the time, they love to be with us, and it’s torture to love a human, who doesn’t want to have you in their home, or give love back.. every animal, is important, and even just one will change your life. And theirs!
Thank you for all those who volunteer, you're changing all the lives of these animals.
Any non-medical animal shelter volunteer has to understand that they aren’t going to be playing with kittens and puppies all day. They’re going to be cleaning and disinfecting cages, cleaning and disinfecting carriers, washing towels and blankets, etc, etc, etc. Grunt work. But also plenty of moments where, while you’re picking up messes, you get to pet the animals for a few minutes. Maybe even bond with some. Makes all the grunt work totally worth it.
when i was a kid i wanted to volunteer but I was under 18. now, I'm reconsidering. should I volunteer?
Yes, if you have regular availability to do so, then absolutely yes.
Load More Replies... Great pics! In the USA, people have the right to volunteer and take photos and video at publicly funded shelters, and to share what they've witnessed. This is helpful not only for adopting out more animals, but for reforming regressive shelters. Info on the No Kill Advocacy Center site explains your rights and how to reform things, like a growing number of places have already. Individuals learn, connect, and make the difference.
Fabulous people every one of them!! I fear that I would walk out with a bunch of cats and dogs myself... I just couldn't leave them...
It actually happens to most of us :D There aren't many who didn't end up with a pet from the shelter, including myself :)
Load More Replies... Here's the deal. Whether or not you choose to volunteer, these homeless animals are still there. They're still alone, scared and still waiting for the unknown..But with YOU there, they have a better chance at succeeding. Because there's nothing quite like having a friend who supports you when you're at your lowest point. Be a friend for that animal in need, and I promise the reward will be much more than them finding a forever home. The real reward is knowing in your heart that you helped that happen....you helped them get thru the tough times so they could be ready to thrive in their new forever home.
I've been a volunteer dog-walker for over four years, and my friends all praise me for what I do for the dogs. While I started doing it for them, I believe I get more out of it than they do now. It's one of the best uses of my time. One of my Facebook friends started working at the shelter, and she can't stop talking about how much she loves it. About half a year after I began walking the dogs, I bought my pocket camera one day and took selfies with each of the dogs I walked. I do this most of the time now, and have an album of over 700 photos in it. Last year I adopted a cat from the same shelter, and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I volunteered at a shelter in high school. I went every Saturday. I worked in the puppy/ kitten room, which was not nearly as fun as it sounds. People dumped animals who were too young to be on their own, parvo was rampant and they were always beyond capacity. There were times I'd walk through the door and not recognize a single animal there. I know they weren't all spontaneously adopted. In short, it was a special version of hell. But the animals needed someone in their corner, even if for just 4 hours every Saturday. So I'd give myself 5 mins in the feed room to cry whenever it got to be too much. Then I'd suck it up and give those little guys my very best.
Yes, you are right. It's very hard work, and it requires a lot of strength for "the battles we can't win". But it's also one of the most rewarding experiences ever. You know that your work is really needed and you are doing something good for the animals, and you receive lots of love from them in return (and can pet them without restrictions:) ).
I am a supervisor at a cat sanctuary. I work with 5 other people and we have 15 seniors. Very rewarding and also, at times, quite sad. Teamwork is super important, you must leave your ego at the door. Be ready to clean really gross stuff, be patient, wear crappy clothes. Enjoy the love!
Excellent series, both passionate and compassionate. I photograph shelter cats too and I like the mood that each shot conveys, so emotional.
Thank you! I am very happy my photos pleased such a amazing cat photographer like you! 😊
Load More Replies... Thank you for taking a time to read it !!
Load More Replies... I could never work in shelters where they kill pups and cats. I would be devastated. In no kill shelter, however, if I would not have to work most of the day to survive, I would gladly volunteer.
Only the employees at a regular shelter participate in a euthanasia and then only when they absolutely have to. No kill shelters are great, but they will often turn away animals that are not healthy. Regular shelters need volunteers as well, and if an animal is injured or sick they will do their very best to get that animal the care it needs, but sometimes they can't be saved and it is kinder to the animal to put it down humanely than let it suffer and die anyway. I volunteered at a shelter for 6 years and fostered cats and kittens as well. It's never easy, but it's very rewarding.
Load More Replies... I’ve been waiting my whole life to be old enough to volunteer at an animal shelter. I’ve always wanted to be a vet. I’m now old enough but too busy with school so next summer I plan to find one
Oh this brought back some painful yet sweet memories. One of my first jobs was at our local Humane Society. I ended up being the head 'cat lady'. The only thing sadder than seeing one that is too weak or mistreated to recover is seeing a dog that has spent over a year in a brick kennel watch other young, brighter, 'prettier' dogs walk down the aisle with their new owners.
Thank you! I volunteer but not with animals. I have a beautiful rescue cat but am allergic to both cats and dogs and have some other health problems which keep me out of the paid "work force" in my original field. I do get to teach sailing at an Adaptive Sailing Program and absolutely love it. Volunteering is challenging, fun, and rewarding for me and I'm lucky that I can share my love of sailing with others. Still hoping my cat will warm up to the idea of living on a boat someday but she's the boss, so we'll see.
I tried to volunteer once but they were like "Covid and also you're not old enough" D:
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