I’m very happy to promote Safe Hands Animal Rescue as our August Rescue of the Month, part of our Giving Back program. (and we’re getting back on track with Rescue of the Month posts actually posting at the beginning of the month!) Since its founding in 2006, Safe Hands has rescued and re-homed over 1,000 dogs. They are dedicated to saving lives and finding forever homes for stray, abandoned and surrendered dogs in high kill shelters. They’re advocates for reducing the stray population and reducing euthanasia of healthy animals through their spay/neuter programs and education. They promote respect for the furry creatures that share our lives. Like many local rescue organizations, they are all volunteer-run and rely on foster homes to take in and place animals. A big advantage to fostering, is that the families get to know the dogs’ personalities very well, which helps match the animal to an appropriate home.

The two dogs we’re featuring have both lived through some crazy, terrible situations. First up is Pax, and I feel like they could make a movie about his life. Here’s what Safe Hands told me: “He was a stray dog that carried a bucket around with him and folks would feed him. He would periodically show up in a neighborhood where this mom and kids cared for him, and one day he showed up with an arrow clean through his chest. They contacted the shelter we work with who contacted us and we got a volunteer to get him to the vet. The kids broke open their piggy banks to help pay for his medical care!! He came to our rescue and turned out he has a bad hip – previously broken and also full of pellets (as is much of his body). He had FHO surgery and is recovering now. He is a very soulful guy and he can use all the help he can get to find the right/best home for him without worry.” He is the sweetest guy, very friendly, and I really enjoyed photographing him. His back end is still shaved from the hip surgery, but he’s still super handsome.

Next is little Samara. Here’s this sweet girl’s story: “She was abandoned at a mine with her littermates, rescued by a miner who brought the pups  home to take them to the shelter. Before they did though, someone wanted a puppy and they gave her away. The guy actually took her and threw her off a bridge and when she was able to swim to the edge and get out of the water, got her and threw her off again! He was satisfied she was too far out and would drown and left. A homeless man under the bridge witnessed the whole thing and went into the water and saved her. The man that did it is being prosecuted. Samara spent a few months “in jail” held as evidence. Finally they released her to our custody. Her name means “guarded by God.” She certainly had an angel looking out for her. She’s a black, labby/houndy mix and we’ve had zero interest in anyone wanting to give her a home. But she’s adorable, sweet, happy and a really good girl.” How could no one want this little peanut?? She was cautious when she came to the studio, but she’s eager to please and I can tell there’s a confident, spunky girl in there trying to get out. Dustin is lucky we don’t live on a big farm, because I would be adopting dogs like Samara every chance I got!

For more information, check out their website or Facebook page. Here’s a link to the animals they have available on Petfinder…. there’s some seriously cool dogs on there, be sure to check out Dexter and Mike too! If you’d like to attend an adoption event, our friends at Fetch Delivers opens their doors to Safe Hands on several weekends during the year. The next event is actually this coming Saturday, August 6th.