Does your dog have an interesting story? Perhaps it was a shelter dog. Perhaps your dog is a working dog. Perhaps a retired racing hound. What challenges has your dog had to overcome? On National Pet Day, Princeton Architectural Press wants to hear your dog’s story. Post a response to this post and we’ll feature our favorite story in an upcoming e-newsletter.
In the meantime, here is the story of Vinny, one of the shelter dogs featured in Traer Scott’s book Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and Their Stories, a collection of gorgeous black-and-white canine portraits and a recounting of their journeys from shelters to forever-homes.
Vinny was found as a stray behind Electric Boat, a submarine design and construction company in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was young and healthy, exhibiting an ideal weight, clipped toenails, and clean fur, so the North Kingstown Animal Control staff hoped that he had just gotten separated from his owner and would soon be claimed. Sadly, weeks went by, and no owner came forward.
Despite his goofy and fun demeanor, Vinny seemed intimidating to many people, due to his stocky, muscular build and large, broad head, which are characteristic of pit bulls. As with so many young, energetic dogs, Vinny’s mental state began to deteriorate quickly in the shelter environment. He started to become aggressive to other dogs and had to be kept in an isolation kennel to avoid contact or chance encounters with them. There, he continued to receive attention and affection from staff and volunteers, as well as walks and lots of time outside in the shelter’s enormous, fenced-in yard. The shelter staff and volunteers adored him, but no one wanted to adopt Vinny.
Many aspects of shelter life can be stressful or detrimental to an animal. The most obvious is confinement, but many other things, such as harsh smells, unfamiliar or repetitive sounds, and even new food, can contribute greatly to an animal’s anxiety. In order to help Vinny to remain mentally and physically fit during his time in the shelter, he was taken to several sessions of Pits and Pals c.l.a.s.s. with a Handsome Dan’s Rescue enrichment volunteer. He loved the weekly class, where he eagerly performed all of the tasks in exchange for treats and affection. With a forty-five-minute drive each way from the shelter to class and back, Saturdays were a day out for him. This provided a vital break from kennel and shelter life, plus Vinny was exposed to new people and places, thus improving his social skills and thereby his chances for adoption.
Months went by. Countless internet posts from staff and volunteers pleaded for someone to fall in love with Vinny. His photos garnered hundreds of likes and shares on social media, but still no one showed interest in adopting him. His anxiety continued to grow, and after six months he was exhibiting signs of almost constant panic, both in and out of the kennel. Finally, just when staff were losing hope of a happy ending for Vinny, he was adopted by a local police officer and finally found the loving home that had eluded him for so long.
Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and Their Stories by Traer Scott is available from:
Traer Scott is an award-winning fine art and commercial photographer and the bestselling author of several books, including Nocturne, Shelter Dogs, and Newborn Puppies. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Life, Vogue, O, and dozens of other major national and international publications. Scott was the recipient of the 2010 Helen Woodward Humane Award for animal welfare activism. She resides in Providence, Rhode Island with her family and teaches animal photography at Rhode Island School of Design.
