Landfill Dogs

Landfill Dogs is a photo advocacy project that highlights shelter dogs who face euthanasia if they do not find a home. Since October 2012, each week I bring one dog from the county animal shelter and photograph him/her at Landfill Park, a former landfill converted into a public park. The backdrop of Landfill Park is used for two reasons. First,the dogs will end up in a landfill if they do not find a home. They will be euthanized and their bodies will be buried deep in the landfill among our trash. Below the surface at Landfill Park there are more than 25,000 dogs buried here. These photographs offer the last opportunity for these dogs to find homes. The second reason for the landfill location is because the county animal shelter falls under the same management as the landfill. This government structure reflects a societal value; homeless cats and dogs are just another waste stream. However, this landscape offers a metaphor of hope. It is a place of trash that has been transformed into a place of beauty. I hope the viewer also sees the beauty in these homeless, unloved creatures. To date, I have photographed 152 dogs. 128 have found homes, 10 are still waiting, and 14 have been euthanized for various reasons.