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was in that moment that she promised herself that she would come up with a way to contribute to finding a resolution and put an end to the suffering of innocent animals. At the time of this trip, Madeline was in the beginning stages of starting her own company. She had been at a turning point in her career and yearning for a job she was passionate about. After a little soul searching, it hit her like a brick in the head: she loved creating; photography had been the front running hobby in her life since she was 14. She also loved animals; she had been spending a lot of her free time volunteering at a local shelter. If she could somehow combine all of that together she would be well on her way to a career she loved. It didn’t take much longer for Madeline to realize she could and shortly after began forming Chase & Snap Pet Photography. As an animal photographer, Madeline knew a picture was worth a thousand words and that the best way to bring awareness to the problem of strays was to show people the horrible conditions these animals live and, barely, survive under. “I couldn’t even bare to look at first, let alone take photos, so my memory card remained empty that day,” said Madeline. “But then I got to thinking, the world needs to see this, we can’t just keep looking away and pretending that this problem doesn’t exist.” In 2010, Madeline started the long-term project Strays Around the World. Her goal is to photograph the dozens of homeless animals that she encounters every year as she travels to a different country. The Strays Around the World project will run over a 10 year period as Madeline, who admits that funding these trips herself is rather expensive and timely to save up for, is adamant about bringing awareness to as many countries as possible. The photographs will be available on the Chase & Snap website www.chaseandsnap.com/store. Additionally, portions of the proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit 600million.org, an organization that is dedicated to putting an end to the suffering of strays through the development and distribution
of a pill that painlessly and effectively sterilizes these animals. As millions of strays are brutally killed to reduce their population, the organization’s mission is to decrease reproduction rates of homeless animals and humanely control their population. “As a member of HeARTs Speak, an organization of artists who donate their talents to help improve the adoptability of shelter animals, I know the impact of what a great photo can have on people. But spreading awareness is only one step in putting an end to the problem. That’s why 600million.org’s mission is so important. If they can significantly reduce the rate at which strays reproduce it will be a huge stride towards a solution.” Another recipient of the funds earned from print and product sales will be Project Animal Worldwide, an organization that spays/neuters and rescues strays from Puerto Rico and eventually other countries. Since the inspiration for the Strays Around the World project began in Puerto Rico, to Madeline, it seemed only fitting to also donate to a cause with the same origin and goals. Next year Madeline will be heading off to southern Italy where stray dogs are a growing problem, an estimated 600,000 abandoned dogs roam the streets. While it is illegal in Italy to destroy any unwanted or stray dogs, as of March 2011 of the 600,000, only 200,000 of these strays have been picked up by local councils and brought to pounds where they are being held in hopes of adoption. This leaves an unfortunate number of canines to roam the streets under desperate conditions that no animal should ever have to endure. Madeline also plans to travel to Moscow, Russia, where stray dogs ride the subway from their place of living to the fat regions of Moscow center to search for food. These intelligent animals have various techniques to nab grub, from using a seemingly vicious bark to harmlessly scare a man eating a sandwich, so the dog can scoop it when the man ultimately drops it in a moment of fear, to lovingly approaching a young girl munching on a piece of bread, who
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