This is officially my last post with photos. Ever.
Pah. Yeah right, like you believed that for a second.
I wanted to share some images I took a couple of years ago for a documentary project on a town near Knoxville, TN. The population of LaFollette is comparable to that of my college campus. Everyone knows eachother and nothing goes unnoticed.
With such a tight community comes great inspiration. It was so easy to talk to everyone on a very personal level. I found a few people to follow around there and got some beautiful portraits to go along with some great stories. They really are unique people.
While I was there, however, I was alerted to the animal control and rescue issues. I quickly became involved with the shelter there and was allowed to ride along with the animal control officer on duty (there’s only one, and he worked full time). I saw so many sad things, but the love of the workers made up for the suffering their animals experienced before being delivered to their care.
Shelter workers
Unfortunately, they do not have the facility to support the large number of animals arriving daily. They rely on the kindness of rescue groups and adopters, which sometimes is not enough.
"Nothing we can do..."
They required (at the time) only about $20 to adopt a puppy and would probably allow someone to take them for free if the need was great enough. Spaying and neutering costs are too high to service all the animals they take in, so new owners are responsible for that half of it on their own terms…but many people leave them intact, which only contributes to the problem.
Animal rescue worker
Hopefully the town will receive more funding in the future in order to help keep the pet population at a manageable rate and lessen the amount of neglected animals there. From what I saw, there were certainly enough good Samaritans to make a difference.
A second chance
Hidden from view
Drink up
Don't forget us
This is a selection of my favorite memories from the few rainy days I spent in that tiny shelter and with other animal welfare workers. They were so helpful and willing to share their stories..some sad, but some very warm and tear-jerking.
Where do we go from here?
On my trip home I delivered a litter of kittens and the momma cat to a new rescue in Knoxville. With a larger town comes better possibilities of adoption. I was happy to help out. I went home that night and hugged my animals tightly. They will never experience abandonment. I just wish I could spread that feeling to them all.