Lights, Camera, & Mistletoe - Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy this special time of year with your loved ones! Here’s a few sneaks from one of my last shoots of the year, I’m absolutely obsessed with how these turned out. Proof that mistletoe can always coax a kiss from your beloved, even on the streets of Downtown Las Vegas!

A Girl & Her Dog

It all started with a dog named Pickles.

Years ago when I first started in animal rescue, one of the rescues I was volunteering for was notified of a puppy chained to a tree in downtown Las Vegas in the middle of summer. I offered to check out the area and sure enough, discovered a cattle dog puppy on a chain tied to a tree in the middle of some buildings. There was no distinguishable owner, a tub with dirty water in it that was too tall for her to reach, and no adequate shade or sign of food. Animal Control was called but never showed up… So I grabbed my handy dandy bolt cutters from my car and took her with me.

I named her Pickles. She was sweet and playful and let us cut the remains of her chain without a single whine or snap. After a bath and some food, she truly blossomed. With the rescues backing, we got her microchipped and prepped for adoption. Pickles went on a few trial runs but none of the families seemed to be the right fit.

Then Julee came along. I remember meeting her for the first time and seeing how quickly Pickles warmed up to her. I remember how excited she was and how she showed me around her apartment which she had already set up and dog proofed. I remember leaving Pickles on her trial with her and knowing in my gut that this was it.

8 years later… Pickles and Julee are still the best of friends and my gut feeling turned out to be one hundred percent right. Pickles ended up needing some operations for her legs not long after and Julee stuck with her through it all. Their family grew when Julee met Alex and Pickles gained the title of big sister when Azalea was born last year!

It was honestly bittersweet being able to photograph them all as a family. The dirty and uncertain puppy I found all those years ago has grown into a sweet and patient little lady, Julee went from being the best dog mom to the best overall mom and you can see how much Alex loves them all. It was truly a pleasure to reconnect with them all and capture these memories with them!

Adoptable Spotlight: Daphne

Meet Daphne!

It goes without saying that Daphne is a striking dog but she’s so much more to her than just being ridiculously good looking. While some may be intimidated by her tall Scooby Doo like features, this 1 1/2 year old Presa Canario is really just a big teddy bear and adores snuggling. She prefers a couch and Netflix over long adventures (although she will never say no to a long walk) and her rescue trainer adores her for being so quick to pick up basic obedience cues. Daphne prefers humans to other animals but despite looking down her nose at other dogs, she walks great on a leash and isn’t reactive.

Interested in meeting Daphne?

Daphne can be adopted through Animal Help Alliance and you can fill out an adoption application HERE!

Adoptable Spotlight: Perrier

Meet Perrier!

This good looking three year old Lab/Shepherd mix is Perrier is as smart as he is handsome! He loves to learn and enjoys training as much as he loves playtime. An active and experienced companion would be best for this sparkling drink of water as he prefers human interaction over other animals but if your looking for the perfect hiking or running partner, this dude might be the one for you!

Interested in fostering or adopting Perrier?

Fill out an application HERE with The Churchill Foundation today!

Rescue Only Photo Series - Animal Rescue

Since I was a kid, I loved saving animals. Not much has changed in 33 years. I've been thinking a lot about how I started in photography AND animal welfare and realized I really want to get back to my roots.

In 2014 I started a photo project called NKLV Rescue Only to highlight animals on the Rescue Only list at TAF that may not have a chance to be adopted without being pulled by a rescue due to medical or behavior issues. After working for TAF for the last 4 years in animal behavior, I learned a lot. I learned that many animals end up on that list because they simply don't do well in a shelter environment or because of medical issues. A small percentage were behavior issues like food or dog aggression or other behavioral issues told to us by previous owners. I can't tell you how frustrating it was to see an animal on that list and know that they could be completely different in a home but you only have at least 72 hrs to make a difference in that animals behavior. Alot of the time, those animals didn't get a second chance because our local rescues were already at major capcity and don't have the fosters or resources to take them in.

With the knowledge of what it's ACTUALLY like to work in a euthanesia shelter and still wanting to advocate and help animals, I decided to restart this project but with a few tweaks and changes. This project will simply be known as Rescue Only and applies to ANY shelter with a Rescue or Transfer only list. Any rescue or adopter that's pulled or adopted straight from the list is eligible!

If you are interested in getting your rescue only pet photographed or would like to collobarate, please send a private message or email @ jessraquelphotography@gmail.com

I can't wait to showcase the wonderful animals on these lists and advocate for many that are forgotten or given up on!