I Photographed Pedigree Rescue Dogs To Show That It’s Not Just Mutts Who End Up At Shelters (26 Pics)

I’m a passionate proponent of shelter dog adoption. I have several mixed-breed rescue dogs and I honestly don’t have a particular dog breed preference. I am, however, aware that some people do, so for this project, I shifted my focus to the realm of purebred dog adoption and what I uncovered in the process was alarming, to say the least.

Whilst mixed-breed dogs often find themselves unwanted and surrendered to shelters thanks to unchecked breeding, they have no intrinsic saleable value, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to adoptees wanting a dog of a specific breed and at a clear advantage because, unlike their pedigree counterparts, they can’t be traded like commodities.

During the process of creating this series of work, Dogs Unleashed, I discovered that the previously unwanted pedigree dogs I photographed found themselves in need of rehoming for three main reasons: a lack of understanding of breed-specific requirements, no longer being of financial use to a breeder, and puppy mill breeders closing or offloading their pups.

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#1 Akela – Unwanted By Her Owners

#2 Milo – Confiscated From An Abusive Home

#3 Leo – Found Wandering The Streets Of Johannesburg As A Stray

#4 Riley – Left To Fend For Herself At A Rental Property

#5 Gunther – Now In His Fourth (And Final) Home He Was Passed Around From Place To Place By People Who Couldn’t Cope With Him

#6 Callie – Rehomed After Her Breeder Died

#7 Jesse – Given To A Weimaraner Rescue After She Broke Her Leg And The Owners Couldn’t Afford The Vet Bills

#8 Nova – Surrendered To A Shelter Because She Was Born Deaf So Of No Saleable Value To Her Breeder

#9 Twig – Left Behind When Her Owners Emigrated

#10 Bonnie – Found Wandering The Streets After Escaping From A Backyard Breeder

#11 Lisa – Used As A Puppymill Machine Until She Was Too Old

#12 Luca – Surrendered Because Her Owners Couldn’t Cope With Her

#13 Zapa – Surrendered To A Shelter, No Reason Given

#14 Chucky – Surrendered After His First Owners Couldn’t Cope With His Energy Levels

#15 Queenie – Used As A Puppymill Machine And Kept In A Cage For 8 Years

#16 Bonsai – Part Of An Unwanted Litter Of Puppies

#17 Tyson – Unwanted Because He Was Too Energetic

#18 Eddie – Put Up For Adoption After The Family Who Bought Him Couldn’t Cope With His Boisterous Behaviour

#19 Hunter – Surrendered Because The Other Dog Kept Attacking Him

#20 Maddy – Rehomed After She Was No Longer Of Use To Her Breeder

#21 Nova – Surrendered Because His Owner Could No Longer Care For Him

#22 Brooklyn-Stella – Sold On Facebook After She Was No Longer Useful To Her Breeder

#23 Enzo – Left Behind When His Owners Emigrated

#24 Leila – Now In Her 7th Home (Please Read The Article For Her Story)

#25 Stoffel – Unwanted By His Owners

#26 Luca – Surrendered To A Shelter Because He Chased The Cat