Outstanding volunteer Kelly Vela, a professional photographer, is just shy of a unique milestone: 15,000 pets on film. She’s been photographing homeless pets at Inland Empire shelters for many years. This morning, she’ll reach her 15,000th photograph of a shelter animal – and we’re honored it is happening at our Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley (6851 Van Buren Blvd.).
She will start at about 10 a.m. and will likely hit the milestone between 10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Her unique photos capture the personality of each pet. She uses a squeaky toy in some cases. And sometimes visitors to our shelter will overhear Kelly pretend to be a dog.
To directly quote Kelly, it sounds as such: “Woof! Woof! Woof!”
(She is not shy about getting that great photo. Her faux barking makes the subject of her shot come to life and ears get perkier.)
This is a light feature pitch to you all and we hope it piques your interest. She’s a wonderful person and has been so generous with her time all these years. (Photos of Kelly are attached.)
I will be at the shelter to capture the 15,000th pet in case a hard-hitting story dominates your time. But we’d love to entertain any media visitors.
