California Exhibit Features Shelter Dog Photos

Photo by Susan Sabo

Long Beach photographer Susan Sabo is featured in a new exhibit that opened Friday, May 2, at the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association. The event, featuring prints of dogs awaiting adoption at local shelters, aims to give animal rescue statistics a face.

“This Is Who We Are: Photography by Susan Sabo” is a collection of 20 to 30 images of Los Angeles and Orange County shelter and rescue dogs in immediate need of homes. Sabo, a regular contributor to a community newspaper and a freelance photographer, brings her signature style of environmental portraiture to a cause close to her animal activist heart.

Volunteers and representatives from various shelters will be on-hand to answer questions and provide information. Framed and unframed prints are available for purchase, with 10 percent of proceeds going to the dog’s shelter, donated in the buyer’s name.

The goal of the show, Sabo says, is to help make the community aware of just how many different dogs need homes. “Eight to 12 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year in the United States. Sixty to 70 percent of them are eventually euthanized. We have to start taking responsibility for these statistics,” she said.

The exhibit highlights dogs from a number of shelters and rescue groups, including Hearts for Hounds, the Orange County and Long Beach Animal Shelters, and the East Valley Animal Shelter in North Hollywood, Calif. Sabo has specialized in pet portraiture for many years, and offers a portrait-session discount to anyone who adopts a shelter or rescue animal.

In addition to selling prints to raise money for the animals, Sabo plans to raffle a free photo session for the winner and his or her animals. Tickets are $1 each.

The show runs throughout the month at Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, 4313 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, Calif. Photo books will be available for sale after the exhibit.

For more information, go to www.susansabophotography.com