Best friends - rescued cats and dogs

Animals, July-August, 1997 by Sumner W. Fowler

How do you make a best friend? Saving him from homelessness or worse is a good start. Sumner W. Fowler's photographs celebrate the lives of pets whose fates landed them in animal shelters. Many dogs and cats found loving families, some did not, but all their stories poignantly depict the experience pets face across the nation. Fowler, an ex-newspaper photographer turned maintenance worker for a shelter, captures that gesture or look that tells a tale of hope and joy for pets who so desperately needed that second chance.

Phil takes a blase approach to the earthly delights of home life. Perhaps he is focused on a higher plane: the cat was found as a stray in front of a church and brought to the shelter by a parishioner who hid him under a coat during services.

Daisy Mae and a litter-mate were brought to the shelter by good Samaritans who found the pups on a country road. An investigation revealed that six more puppies and their mother had been dumped from a moving car.

Clara was a lucky dog. With only 25 to 35 percent of shelter animals finding new homes, the Chihuahua faced odds difficult for adult pets, such as Clara, to beat.

Blizzard was one of eight in a litter of unwanted shepherd-mix pups. What constitutes "responsible" breeding? From the shelter perspective, every litter hurts.

Dubbed "the outlaw kittens," Frank and Jesse James was taken to the shelter after they were found in a paper bag outside a jewelry store. Fostered and then adopted, these gems are now safe with owners who keep them indoors.

A blanket a bed help comfort Jake, who was surrendered to the shelter after his owner was arrested. you might think these pets, separated from their original caretakers, would have trouble trusting again. Most of the time, however, all they need is a chance.

Whisper was one of several kittens in an unplanned litter. Early spay/neuter programs for animals as young as eight weeks old can help stem the tide of unwanted births.