Photographic Project Aims To Raise Awareness About The Large Number Of Abandoned Dogs
Millions of stray dogs roam the streets of the world every day. The situation of these animals is truly worrying. Many are euthanized and others are spayed or neutered. Only a small population ends up in rescue shelters to later be adopted.
Although in recent years there has been a proliferation of shelters and organizations in defense of animal rights have multiplied, it is a reality that there is still much to do. In fact, it has been proven that animals that end up in shelters have a 50 percent chance of survival and, according to statistics, more than half of those dogs are euthanized and only a minimal percentage are adopted. .
In Spain, for example, the situation is alarming. According to studies, this country has the highest rates of abandonment of pets in Europe, with dogs being the animals that suffer the most from this type of problem.
However, all is not lost and as we mentioned, throughout the world, hundreds of organizations and people concerned about this phenomenon are seeking to reverse the situation. An example of this is the project headed by the Hungarian photographer Saroltan Bán, whose aim is to raise awareness and help dogs find a home.
The initiative
There is no doubt that many times an image is worth a thousand words. This premise is something that the artist Saroltan Bán knows very well and that is why, a couple of years ago, he started a campaign to promote the adoption of abandoned dogs. For his project called “Help dogs with images”, Bán searches for photographs of abandoned dogs and transforms them into a true work of art.
Through his “fan page”, the artist receives hundreds of images of stray dogs daily. Through digital editing, transform the environment by placing different scenarios or giving the animals personality. Then the image is published again so that the animal can be adopted and find a home.
The great news is that after starting this project, hundreds of dogs have been adopted. But that is not all. Currently the initiative has also been echoed in other parts of the world and hundreds of artists or fans of digital publishing are putting Bán’s idea into practice.
In Cyprus, for example, photographer Stuart Holroyd, since last year, has been editing images of dogs for adoption. The photographs belong to dogs that have been rescued by a small shelter, whose name is “Bay Tree Rescate.”
Holroyd wanted to get involved in the project, so he decided to use the photographs of the dogs and edit them recreating original and fantastic scenarios. The goal of the initiative is to raise funds, raise awareness and encourage adoptions.
In Holroyd’s words, “ the situation for stray dogs in Cyprus is very bad” and “animal cruelty is at an all-time high”. The artist claims that in his country, animals are beaten and tortured for no reason, just for “fun.” In addition, he adds that the situation worsens even more, since in that country there are no laws against animal cruelty, which causes greater vulnerability.
Do not forget…
The abandonment of animals is fought by informing, preventing and raising awareness.
Only 1 in 10 dogs find a permanent home.
Each year, approximately 2.7 million cats and dogs die because shelters are overcrowded or not enough foster homes exist.
In the world each year, 7.6 million companion animals end up in animal shelters. Of these, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.
Only 10% of the animals that arrive at the shelters have been spayed or neutered. This figure is worrying if we take into account that an unspayed female dog and her offspring can have up to 67,000 dogs. And if we talk about cats, the figure is multiplied several times. An unspayed cat and her offspring can have up to 420,000 kittens.
Animals generally end up in shelters for various reasons : they have been turned over by their owners, they have been lost, or they have been picked up from the street by municipal agents.
Half of the dogs that arrive at the shelters are euthanized.
