My 2021 Rescue Road Trip

I had always dreamed of doing a rescue road trip (driving across the U.S. and visiting rescues), and when we learned that we were relocating to Los Angeles from New York, we decided this was the perfect time to drive and take this big country in. I honestly still can’t believe we did it! I have so many stories and photos to share.

It took weeks of prep work, back in May, planning the itinerary, getting in touch with organizations, vetting them, coordinating everyone, the dates, the places. It was a lot, but my OCD loves that kind of stuff. Finally, early June, Sten, MacLovin and I loaded our car, and left our Brooklyn home (of 11 years), to head West.

VIRGINIA

Our first stop was in Virginia with Green Dogs Unleashed. But because our movers had messed up our dates, we had to shorten our stay and ended up having to do the photoshoot in our hotel room!

This rescue trains shelter dogs to become therapy dogs.

They brought in 2 puppies they had just rescued, and 3 of their alums who normally visit schools, read with adults, and do a bunch of incredible work (during non-pandemic times).

TENNESSEE

Our next stop was Nashville. Though I didn’t care for the city itself so much (too many floats of drunken, loud people, a constant cacophony of music of all kinds, too hot), I absolutely LOVED their city shelter, the Metro Animal Care and Control (MACC). We hadn’t planned on doing a photoshoot there, because they are doing so well, their doggies get adopted super fast. As a matter of fact, their cages were mostly empty! But we did take some pics and I crowned Severus (who has since been adopted).

Lauren, the Director, gave us a detailed tour of the facility and explained some of their programs. I learned a lot and was very impressed.

One thing they did, which has been a game changer, is to redesign their cat areas. Each cat has a cage that is divided in 2: on one side, they get a feral den and all their stuff, and on the other side, their litter box. With this simple adjustment, their saving rate has gone up to almost 100%! The cats are way less stressed, since they don’t have to be moved around when their litter-box is being cleaned, and they can hide in the comfort of their feral den. For vet visits and such, the den can easily be closed and becomes a transport crate. All this has not only made their cats way more adoptable, it’s also reduced and virtually put an end to upper respiratory infections (which, as we know, is a huge struggle at the shelter). It got me thinking about the amount of info shelters have, tricks they've figured out, and how there is not much centralization of info. Whenever I visit a shelter anywhere in the world, and I see them struggle with something others have figured out, I try to share the knowledge. But it's a drop in the ocean!

MACC is super lucky to have in their corner an amazing group of volunteers, a nonprofit called Friends of MACC, and which, through fundraising efforts, events and other programs, helps support the city shelter.

They’ve done incredible things for the shelter, such has raising the $20,000 needed to install sound panels in the kennel rooms, which decreased the sound and echo by a lot, and made the animals way more comfortable.

They’ve also built beautiful runs for the doggies to play around. I wish every shelter had a group of volunteers like that!

After Nashville, we stopped in Memphis. I think that’s where our favorite hotel was! (The Arrive hotel). Super dog friendly, and Mac fit in the decor so perfectly…

Memphis was a huge surprise. I loved the city, the vibe, the energy. There is something profound and mystical about this place. Perhaps it was because we stayed near the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was shot and killed, and which now hosts the wonderful National Civil Rights Museum. Or perhaps it was all that Blues and the beautiful weather we had.

In Memphis, I spent the day with Sunny Meadows rescue.

The shelter was built out of a house, so it’s quite outdated and perhaps not the best set up. But they have an awesome team who works tirelessly for their animals.

The doggies are kept in runs that only have chain-linked fences in between the cages, and that can be overwhelming for the doggies. 

The team is dedicated, and they do their best, but they certainly need more hands on deck and volunteers to help with enrichment of the doggies, playtime, walks, etc. If you live in Memphis, you should connect! I offered to help them set up a playground equipment for their doggies, and I hope we can make that happen. Sunny Meadows has MANY long timers, including dogs who have waited for many, many years. They pull dogs from shelters, hoarding cases, breeders, fighting rings, etc. We were able to photograph 18 dogs that day! So many were super shy, which makes for a slow process, but I love a shy dog. They just need a little extra love to come out of their shell!

OKLAHOMA

After Tennessee, we headed to Oklahoma, with a busy schedule! I spent the day with Mutt Misfits, a local rescue that focuses on special needs dogs. As you can imagine, their vet bills are always high, and they deal with many heartbreaking, difficult cases, like Otto, a sweet little nugget who was hydro-cephalic, deaf and visually impaired. Sadly, Otto passed away a few weeks ago.

And this handsome guy is Morrison. He was rescued from a fighting ring with 23 other dogs. All got adopted or placed in foster, except him. When I photographed him, he had been sitting in boarding for months… He was adopted right after my visit, only to be returned recently by a family who changed their mind.

After Mutt Misfits, we headed to Tulsa, where I spent the following day with the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. They do incredible work in the Tulsa area. In particular, they have a program called Unchain OK and they work with the community to unchain dogs. We met at their office, where I did a quick shoot with Lady. Lady spent 10 years chained, until her owner agreed to surrender her to the Alliance. Sadly, nobody has claimed this girl since, and she is still waiting for a home!

The work that Unchain OK does is really difficult. It is legal to chain dogs in OK (as in many other states), and so the only way these organizations can make a difference, is by working hand in hand with the community. The neighbors become their ears on the ground.

The team visits their “clients” regularly, providing food and vet care to the doggies, who are often owned by people who don’t know better, or cannot do better for lack of resources.

Our first stop was intense. Someone had reported an alleged dog fighter, with a dog chained on his property. The ladies of the Alliance drove there. They walked up to the front door of the house, wanting to chat with the owner. I have to tell you, my heart skipped a couple of beats… Who knows what could have awaited them on the other side of that door. And this is where the reputation of a rescue group is so important. You want the communities to trust you. It’s for your safety, and that of the doggies, too. That day, the owner was not home. We walked to the side of the house, where an adorable pit bull pup was chained, in squalor. I have met, photographed and interacted with chained dogs before, and I can tell you, in never gets easier. These dogs are robbed of everything. It’s worse, actually, because the world is within reach. But just far enough it can never be accessed. I think it’s the worst kind of torture. The doggie was so friendly, loving, and he was so eager to come say hi and get affection from me. But as soon as he tried to approach, I realized a huge rock, or some concrete, was tangled (attached?) to his chain. It was so heavy, the pup couldn’t even lift his head up. He stayed there, wagging his tail, and I told him I loved him, through my tears.

Next, we fed some of Unchain OK’s clients, two dogs who are chained but loved, and somewhat cared for. They just wanted to give us kisses and play. The rescue had already removed the chains, and replaced them with safer, longer tethers. They are working closely with the owner. Who knows, maybe one day, these doggies can be completely freed…

Finally, we visited Debora. She is another client of Unchain OK, who has become an ambassador for the organization. When they met her, Debora had two chained dogs. Her doggies would get loose and get in trouble in the neighborhood. I think there was an incident with the mailman once… She knew Animal Control would come take her dogs. Somehow, she got in touch with The Alliance for Animals and they agreed to help her. They built a fence for her doggies, and have been helping her with food and vet care ever since. In return, Debora talks to other owners of chained dogs about her experience, and she told me, with emotion, how much the organization means to her, and how happy she was the first day her dog was allowed to run free in her fenced yard.

After that, I was hoping to meet with a rescuer I had chatted with, Suzie, in Pawhuska. She works in a very difficult area, on the Osage reservation, where she feels like she is the only one really caring for the animals. Sadly, she stopped answering my messages and we were not able to connect. I hope our paths cross one day.

We then drove the long and really depressing 10h drive through Kansas and endless cow feedlots. A sight from hell, if you ask me.

COLORADO

Colorado was a breath of fresh air after that. We visited with my friend Sarah, who has rescued llamas and alpacas and now runs a sanctuary / farm. I met Sarah years ago, when she used to live in Connecticut and volunteered at a shelter there. She drove Angel for a Pit Bull Flower Power portrait, a doggie who had been waiting for 2 years and whom she was very dedicated to. Sarah is a fun, creative, badass lady. She taught us a lot about llamas and alpacas. And boy… These babies are high maintenance! I learned that they are herd animals who are very sensitive to stress and can die quite easily if their needs aren’t met. For example, they need to be in a herd of at least 3. Because they take turns sleeping / guarding against predators. They also have commune latrines, where they all poop in the same spot and guard for each other. But don’t be fooled by their sweet faces and quirky looks! The boys in particular, can be pretty dramatic. They fight hard for their ladies, and as soon as those love hormones kick in, the boys get very cranky and feisty. They grow fighting teeth, which are extremely sharp and designed to rip and tear. Sarah said they are designed to literally de-shell the testicules of their romantic opponents! Nope, sir. Nope. Thankfully, filing these teeth is a relatively simple and painless procedure, and keeps everyone safe. Still, while we were there, we saw a couple of “boxing matches” between boys, through fences, and it was quite impressive!

Sarah was so generous with her time and babies. She is a photographer herself, and very talented! We did a gorgeous shoot at sunset. On one side of her farm, lots of wildflowers, including “Indian brushes” has blossom after a recent storm. It was glorious! (this is an phone pic, the “real” pics aren’t ready yet).

After Sara, we drove to Denver for an exciting project! I filmed a YouTube video for Today At Apple (their creative learning platform). They invited me to do an episode about “Taking expressive portraits of your pets with an iPhone”. I agreed, as long as I could feature a shelter! I was so excited they said yes! In Denver, we decided to work with Soul Dog Rescue’s adoption center. The rescue works in Navajo Nation, pulling dogs from animal control facilities and helping the local community through spay and neuter campaigns. Volunteers drive the animals from NN all the way to Denver, at least once a week (it’s an 8-10h drive), where they are placed for adoption.

Filming with Apple was tough! It was hot that day, and the doggies were a bit spooked by all the camera equipment, but we found a few who did not mind as much and were troopers, like Marilyn the senior, or Fuzzy the happy pup! I had a whole team of make-up and hair, and wardrobe. I had a script to prepare what we were going to cover, a green room, I felt like a super star! 

After the shelter, we filmed two more days in studio. It was exhausting, but one of the most exciting things I have done! The episode is available here.

NAVAJO NATION (FOUR CORNERS)

Once we were done filming, we drove down to Navajo Nation, to spend a couple of days with Deb of Soul Dog Rescue. She was our guide, and we had an amazing time. It’s always crazy, how dog rescue bond people. I really connected with Deb deeply, and I hope to come back soon.

She organized a visit with Mary, an older Navajo lady with stories to tell! Mary takes care of a pack of doggies, and she agreed to pose for a family portrait.

We drove around the reservation, stopping to feed stray dogs, checking in on known stray packs. Every time we stopped somewhere, people would approach Deb and her van, asking for help: vetting, food, spay/neuter. The need is endless. Soul Dog organizes monthly spay/neuter clinics, and everywhere, the patient Deb provided everyone with the info, took phone numbers down, and promised to do their best. One lady touched my heart in particular. She approached us on a parking lot, and asked if we had dog food. She said she feeds 20 dogs at her house. They come at night for dinnertime. She can’t afford dog food, so instead, she cooks them tortillas every day. 

We were handed a litter of newborn kittens. The mom wasn’t feeding the babies, and the family was distraught. One of the kitten was almost dead. We did everything we could to revive her. It was amazing to see her come back to life! Sadly, I have been informed that she is no longer. But the rest of the litter is doing great.

At a gas station, there was a little doggie who was so happy and cute, wagging her tail (one of those low wags, timid but hopeful). We decided to rescue her, and I named her Little Miss Thing. She was covered in huge ticks. We brought her into Deb’s van. Deb fostered her until she was ready for adoption, and Little Miss Thing found the perfect family!

The next day, Deb was picking up doggies from various animal control facilities. Every week, the AC teams and Soul Dog Rescue discuss good candidates for rescue. There is not enough room for everyone, but the rescue does their absolute best. It was an insane game of Tetris, reorganizing the crates so we could fit – and save – as many animals as possible. Still, you can never forget the ones who were left behind... 

With a full van (I think it was something like 65 animals total!!), Deb headed back to Denver, and we continued our journey.

UTAH

Our next and final stop on this rescue road trip was Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Though the landscapes are breath-taking, and Utah is a magical place, I have to say, there was something about the vibe in Utah, I really didn’t like. I suppose spiritual places like these attract all sorts of people. We had beautiful encounters, and we had scary ones… (one day I’ll tell you about that “daycare” who could have gotten MacLovin killed, and then for no reason, pretended she'd called the Sheriff on me!).

We stayed at the super-dog friendly hotel owned by Best Friends, The Roadhouse. Best Friends cares for thousands of animals, and I got to pet pigs, horses and more. I photographed 24 animals there, before we headed to Las Vegas and then, finally, Los Angeles.

——————————————————

If you’ve made it to the end of this story, congratulations and thank you! I have been settling in our new place in LA, and have barely had a chance to catch my breath and look through my pics, or post much. For the first time in a very long time, I want to plant my roots, and really make a home here. I also want to take a lot of time in my art studio. Yes! I finally have a dedicated space! It needs some love, the roof is a bit scary and I worry that with the first rain, my work will be destroyed, but I hope to be set up soon.

I hope this finds you well. I hope you are hanging in there. I know the world is very overwhelming right now, maybe more so than ever. Remember to take breaks and to breathe. I found this awesome post on Instagram (@selfworkco), listing 7 types of rests:

1. Creative rest (reading a book, playing, making art),

2. Mental rest (switching off, meditating, going for a massage, spending time in silence, or listening to music)

3. Physical rest (nap, yoga, getting enough sleep, eating at fixed times)

4. Social rest (dates with friends, joining a club, self-love rituals, dedicating time for connecting with your partner)

5. Emotional rest (talk to a therapist or trusted friend, journal, join a support group)

6. Sensory rest (limit screen time, warm bath with candlelight, nature walks)

7. Spiritual rest (meditation, helping others / community service, finding something to believe in, starting a gratitude journal).

I think I have been neglecting most of these restful practices for a long time. I’m going to try and get better at it!

With much love to you,

Sophie