Photographer Casey Christopher has done so much work for shelter pets, you may already be familiar with her name. She has a soft spot for “unadoptable” pets, ones that are looked over and passed by again and again by adopters for reasons like age, disability, or breed. Her work has been featured on iHeartCats (twice!), but this time, Casey’s focus was on Pugs in her newest project, “Pugs And Kisses”!
Casey will often reach out to rescues and offer to photograph their animals in an effort to help them get adopted, and her work has proven results! While following Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles on social media, she saw that the pups would sometimes be treated to Starbucks Puppachinos, “so I decided to give them whipped cream during my shoot so they would stick their tongues out and make funny faces,” she tells iHeartDogs.
The photographs are adorable! They really show these Pugs’ silly sides – a side potential adopters might not see at first glance.
“My favorite dog by far is Gigi. She is paralyzed but can zoom around so quick,” Casey says.
“I love special needs animals so much because they don’t realize they’re any different from their friends and they honestly aren’t any different.”
“People tend to feel bad for special needs animals and that makes me really sad because they usually get along just fine.”
“Gigi interrupted my shoot more than any other dog there by zooming around, photo bombing her friends’ photos, and trying to eat the other dogs’ whipped cream. She is incredibly amazing and so much fun.”
Casey’s photos have really shown just what gems Pug Nation of Los Angeles has in their care!
Casey says, “They actually had a lot of seniors and special needs pugs there, which is a big reason why I wanted to [photograph] them… there is Leena who has one eye and Rocky who is missing a leg, among others.”
“I’m a big fan of the ‘unadoptables’ and I try to use my photography to show that all animals are worthy of life and love.”
Casey manages to photograph so much more than what’s on the surface. Her photos capture what is inside of these pets’ unusual exteriors, and show that they’re just as beautiful and deserving of a home as their friends.
Other series by Christopher have focused on special needs Corgis, black cats, and blind cats – many of whom found homes after being photographed.
It’s apparent that she loves her work. “I like taking photos of animals looking silly and showing off their personalities,” she says.
She’s succeeding!
Casey hopes that her work will help the Pugs featured in this series to find open hearts and homes.
You can adopt any of these lovable pugs from Pug Nation LA. Follow Casey Christopher for photos of more unique adoptables at @CaseyElisePhoto on Instagram, on Facebook, or at CaseyElise.com.
