Changing the Face of Pet Adoption Through the One Picture Saves a Life Campaign

Would you adopt a dog that you didn’t find attractive? I didn’t think so and honestly, I probably wouldn’t either. Sadly for many dogs, one photo is all they get to introduce themselves to you as rescue groups and shelters look to place them in loving homes for a fresh start.

When we were ready to adopt a dog for our family, we looked at a lot of photos that we knew didn’t reflect the true personality of the dogs we were looking at through PetFinder. Three years ago we adopted Oliver, our now 6 year old Yellow Labrador. You’d never know from the number of Facebook likes and Instagram hearts he gets these days that he was once a scrawny, scared rescue dog whose photo barely reflected what a loving dog he is.

As an owner of a rescue dog who would is passionate about connecting people with the right pets for their family, I love that Wahl, The Animal Rescue Site, and GreaterGood.org are working together to literally change the image of pet adoption through the One Picture Saves a Life Campaign.

One Picture Saves a Life Campaign allows potential pet owners to view a before and after photo gallery featuring animal makeovers thanks to Wahl’s donation of more than 1,000 bottles of pet shampoo to animal shelters across the country. The campaign has collected some of the most incredible before and after pet makeover photos to show what dogs look like when they arrived at the shelter and what a difference a bath, bit of grooming, and a nice photo can make to transform dirty and scared dogs into adorable companions in need of a home.

To promote the gallery and makeovers, Wahl launched the third annual Dirty Dogs Contest that ends today, July 30. It’s the last day to vote for the top three dog makeovers selected by celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky and award-winning photographer Seth Casteel who chose the 25 best makeovers from all the submissions and invited the public to vote for the top three. The animal shelters or rescue groups affiliated with the winning makeovers will receive cash grants and grooming prize packs. First place takes home $5,000, second place receives $2,000 and third place earns $1,000. Winners will be announced on August 2.

This is a wonderful collaboration that I’m happy to support as a dog lover. I know what a difference it made to give Oliver a bath when he first became our dog. Not only was he clean but the act of bathing him showed him that we loved and cared about him. These days Oliver loves baths and we’re big fans of Wahl’s pet grooming products because they make him smell and look great and are 100% natural and without harsh chemicals.

Some of our favorite pet grooming products for Oliver include:

• Wahl’s Four In One Shampoo & Conditioner with lavender and chamomile that cleans, conditions, and smells great while keeping his coat silky smooth
• Oatmeal Shampoo Concentrate that smells like coconut, lime, and verbena but soothes his sensitive skin. Yes, our dog has sensitive skin!
• Refresh Cleaning Wipes for the times when we want a quick and easy way to clean Oliver without a full bath.
• Shedding Blade because with a large dog, there’s a lot of hair! I love the Shedding Blade because it removes loose hair easily to keep his coat healthy and shiny. I like to use the Shedding Blade outside that cuts down on the vacuuming and sweeping of dog hair inside the house just a little bit!

If you’re a dog owner and looking for tips on grooming your dog, Wahl has tips on reducing shedding, giving your dog a bath, and so much more on their site.

For information about Wahl’s pet grooming products, visit www.wahlpets.com or follow Wahl Home on Facebook and Twitter.

No compensation was received for this post but Wahl did replenish our favorite pet grooming supplies so Oliver could keep looking his best! Images courtesy of Wahl, GreaterGood.org, and Dirty Dogs Contest. Oliver’s mask in the top photo is by the fabulous Sherry whose creations are for sale at BabyPop Designs.