When I first shared my idea for this photo series with my friend Danielle, she excitedly told me about Vespa, her family's Bowie-eyed rescue dog. At the time, I had no idea how this project would ultimately turn out. But I knew that I wanted to represent a range of adoption stories. Vespa is one of hundreds of animals that were, and continue to be, saved from southern kill shelters. One fall morning, I drove out to Sag Harbor, New York to meet this gorgeous girl and learn more about her life so-far.
“I don’t know exactly how old Vespa was when we adopted her, but she couldn’t have been more than a couple of months. Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue pulled her from a high kill shelter in the Carolinas and brought her to New York. And from there she made her way here to Sag Harbor for an Adopt Don’t Shop event at the Whaling Museum.”
“To be honest, we weren’t looking for a dog. We already had two pugs, and the youngest (Sienna) was just two years old. She was finally starting to settle into the house, so no one was planning on getting a third..."
“But my mom, who was actually hosting the event, called my brother and I and said that we had to come down and meet this adorable little dog. So we jumped in the car and went down. When we pulled up, my sister was on the lawn with Vespa in her lap and she was just so incredibly cute. It was basically a done deal by the time we got there.”
“We ended up adopting her that day. My cousin Melissa adopted a dog. Our friend Heather adopted a dog as well – (the dogs) were brother and sister. Everyone went home with a dog! So, yeah it was a super successful day.”
“We love Vespa! She's probably the smartest dog we've ever had. Her first day home, she was giving people her paw to shake. If someone put their hand out, she just knew! No one ever taught her her to do it.”
“Aside from that, she's just so loving. We actually adopted her a couple of months before my grandfather passed, and she definitely gave us the comfort we all needed that summer.”
Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue’s mission is to save as many animals as possible from high kill shelters and other neglectful situations across the country. If you’re interested in supporting this amazing Long Island based non-profit – either monetarily or through fostering/adopting – please visit gimmeshelteranimalrescue.org
Many thanks for sharing your story: Danielle and Holly Dunn-Lobosco, Mr. and Mrs. Lobosco, Vespa and Sienna!