Jared Blog

Saturday morning was a big day for us as we were hosting our annual Jared McMillen Photography and Studio ATG Gives Back event at one of our favorite charities, the NSPCA.

How does it work? We’ll….each year, we select a charity that we feel will benefit from our work as photographers, so we pack up our studio and staff and take everyone to a location and then boom! We let the photo magic begin:)

In selecting the NSPCA for our project this year, we chose them because of an unusual incident we had last summer where they came to the rescue.

There has been a crazy amount of stray cats in our neighborhood since the foreclosure crisis began. We had always thought people had moved and just left them behind out of convenience, which made us both very upset…we’d constantly hear them fighting and hissing in our backyard, which was just kind of crazy.

Then, one hot summer night, when we had our windows open, we were awoken by the sound of kittens in our back yard. We waited til morning, then went outside to check in the brush and boom, there they were; three kittens in our garden. We put on some gloves, got a little box and then spent about 20 minutes trying to capture them.

We tried to find a shelter to take them…spent about an hour making phone calls….and no one would except the NSPCA. So we packed them up and brought them down. In going to their facility, they informed us that at that time, they were housing something like 740+ animals….most of them victims of the foreclosure crisis. We decided right at that moment, that as so many of the “Dogs of Foreclosure” have been caught up in the shuffle of what’s been happening in our town with so much housing turn over and the economic conditions being so challenging for so many people, the NSPCA would be the perfect fit for our Jared McMillen Photography and Studio ATG Gives Back project for 2011.

As everyone knows how dear to our hearts our dogs Bob and Jibby, a former stray himself, are to us, we thought we’d like nothing more than to see some of the beautiful adult dogs of the NSPCA become adopted into wonderful, loving homes.

After being there for a while, we both realized that there’s nothing more amazing is than their hard working staff, dedicated volunteers and foster parents. These people spend tons of time working with these animals so they can live happy and healthy lives with a new family. But the love these people put into these animals is just incredible. They are so gentle with each and every one of them, treating them all like little treasures.

In getting to see and be with these animals, I wanted to take them all home with us….but Jared wouldn’t let me… I did my best to love and give treats to every dog we photographed….These animals need a good home, and all deserve to be loved. So, if you feel you can help financially or by providing a home, don’t be afraid to give the NSPCA a shout. They are a no-kill shelter, and of course every little bit counts. Please help if you can and thank you again to the NSPCA and all these wonderful animals.