Friday, December 16, 2011

For Daisy, with love

There are always so  many things happening in the shelter. 

Each week, dogs come and go. With each dog, we create and collect new memories. 


The joy of furry day written all over Dollar's face


Memories become hazy over time. This makes photographs important because they freeze the exact moment in time. The blink of an eye, the twitch of the ear, a smile, a frown. Photos capture everything down to the last detail. 


Our beach babes


From the very start, Sebastian has been with us snap, snap, snapping away on his camera. He was later joined by other volunteers who were also photography buffs. But Sebastian will always have a very special place in Gentle Paws because of all the images he captured and all the precious memories that he helped to preserve, right from the very beginning. 

If ever we had an official photographer, Sebastian must be it. 


Puppyhood days... From left: Denise, Dexter, Daryl, Dyana and Diya 


It definitely doesn't hurt that Sebastian's photographs are so very gorgeous. They come in extremely handy when we are preparing our publicity material. In fact, this very blog would be nothing but a big yawn without his photographs to complement the words. 

That is the impact of Sebastian's photographs. 


What a sweet slumber. They surely must be dreaming...

Why am I suddenly going on about Sebastian and photographs, you might wonder. 

Ah. Let me take a moment to explain. 

You see, Sebastian, together with his wife Lorna, are also the adopters of our Daisy. You can read about Daisy's story here, If you have been following the blog, you will know that Daisy has taken ill recently. She has been plagued with a whole string of medical conditions. It all started from an injury to her paw. This was followed by problems with her blood count, an eye condition and a liver infection. Now, it appears that unknown masses have been found on both sides of Daisy's abdomen. 


Poor Daisy girl


This family has been in and out of the vet for almost 2 months now. This has been nothing short of hellish for them, both emotionally and financially. If ever you have had a sick dog before, I am sure you would understand. 

Yet, because Daisy has become such a cherished member of their family, Lorna and Sebastian have had no complains whatsoever about the costs of prolonged medical care. 


She's a part of their family now


Every time I log onto Lorna's Facebook page, I never fail to see updates on Daisy's progress. When Daisy's condition shows signs of improvement, Lorna is hopeful and upbeat. When Daisy's test results aren't the most positive, you can sense Lorna's sorrow, her frustration and her heartache. 


Daisy and Lorna: In healthier times


Throughout it all, the cost of veterinary care has never been the on the forefront of their concerns. All they want is to see Daisy happy and healthy again.  


Lorna and Sebastian are trying to help Daisy smile again


As the shelter where Daisy was from, we couldn't bear to stand by idly and watch this family fight their battle without pitching in to help. That is why we suggested that Lorna and Sebastian set up a Daisy booth at our Flea Market to help bring in whatever they can for Daisy's medical expenses. 


Daisy on the alert!


Now, we have another idea up our sleeves and we are hoping to receive a positive response. 

Sebastian is a wonderful photographer with a good eye for aesthetics and detail. So we were pondering... why does his skill have to be confined to shelter dogs? Good things ought to be shared, don't they? After some discussion with Sebastian, we decided that... Sebastian is for hire! 


The first cat picture to appear on this blog, this is a random photo taken by Sebas


See what I mean by Sebas having an eye for detail?


They say animals are often the most difficult subjects. Sebas doesn't make it look too hard!



Stoic and serious. What could he be worrying about?


If you are interested in capturing precious moments between you and your beloved pet, if you want a memento of your pet to hold on to when you are old and gray and your memory starts failing... Please contact Sebastian at ds.photo.mua@gmail.com. Packages and rates can be further discussed with Sebastian himself. The best thing about this is... you'll be indirectly lending a hand to Daisy's medical fund!

While I am admittedly very much biased towards Sebastian as a friend and co-volunteer, here is some objective evidence of his competence and skill. 
















Because he has helped out at the shelter for so long (almost 3 years now!), Sebastian has had the chance to hone his skills at pet photography. After viewing the above pictures, surely you have to agree that he has a way with capturing crucial moments that say it all. The joy of pet ownership is encapsulated simply and clearly in the pictures above.

Let us just say again that if you are interested in taking similar photographs with your beloved furry friend, please do not hesitate to drop Sebastian an email at ds.photo.mua@gmail.com. By taking on Sebastian as your photographer, you not only get beautiful pictures, you also derive the joy of helping another dog in need.

Meanwhile, we will be saying a little prayer that the days ahead will be better, happier and brighter for our darling Daisy. Because she was once a Gentle Paws dog, she will always be a Gentle Paws dog. Go Daisy!

Credit for all the photographs in this entry go to Sebastian. 

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