This past Friday evening, I had the wonderful privilege of participating in the 8th annual Hair of the Dog Wine Tasting and Art Show. The evening was a benefit for the MSPCA at Nevins Farm. The MSPCA is an amazing organization that I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work closely with – and I was thrilled to be a part of such an important cause.
The show took place at the gorgeous Essex Art Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. I was one of many artists, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, and painters who were present with booths showcasing their work…
My incredible father came out to support my little business venture. I couldn’t have been happier to have him.
Oh, and also – there was my ridiculously amazingly huge wall sized prints!
An overwhelming Thank You to David Sarracino of Burnsides Photography and Imaging for printing those for me!
I had various prints and products for sale and about a gah-zillion business cards to give out!
And my fancy new vinyl sign had just finished printing the day before! I was so thrilled to get to use it!
A few weeks prior to the show, I was asked if I would be interested to get involved in the MSPCA’s ‘Angels for Animals’ campaign.
And of course the answer was, ‘absolutely yes.’
So, I spent some time at Nevins Farm photographing the various animals in the adoption center who are in need of surgery and/or medical attention.
My heart melted for them all. It all comes back around to why I do the volunteer work with shelter animals that I do — I want to be a voice for the voiceless.
These sweet, helpless animals need us – and they have no way of expressing that with their own voice.
I photographed specific cats, birds, rabbits, dogs and even guinea pigs that are in desperate need of medical attention.
For the ‘Angels for Animals’ display, the animals’ photos and individual stories were set atop easels and displayed in the center of the room.
Nevins Farm utilized these images to collect donations from attendees to go directly towards the care of these animals and their unique problems.
I have to say – in regards to working with shelter animals – that I have never done anything more rewarding in my entire life.
To be able to help save the lives of animals in whatever small way I can is the best reason for living.
And here I am with some of the amazing staff members of the MSPCA at Nevins Farm.
These are the faces that are the driving force behind the success of such a wonderful organization…
(We’re lucky to have such great, dedicated people in the world, aren’t we?!)
It was a truly wonderful night. If there was any other creature that I would want to hang with besides animals – it would be animal lovers. And that’s exactly what this event turned out to be – an incredible night full of warm-hearted, generous people coming together for a common cause.
To all of the folks involved with putting this event together – Thank You so much. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this memorable night – and for all that you do for the animals that need us most. (Heather Robertson of the MSPCA, and Karen VanWelden-Herman of the Essex Art Center – that’s YOU!) 🙂
Signing off until next time!
-Kaylee
dogbreathblog.com 
It looks like it was a really great event! What a wonderful idea to do photos of the animals in need and to have boxes by their photos for donations!!! I hope the generosity was flowing and that all the animals can now receive the medical attention they require.