Stray dogs are a common sight in developing countries where shelters are too packed to contain them and the system is still working to figure out how to better help these wandering fuzz-butts.
In Cyprus, this problem is aggravated by the fact that a lot of the strays are not just abandoned to fend for themselves, but also abused and mistreated. However, people like Kayte Wilson-Smith and photographer Stuart Holroyd are doing their very best to help the tail-waggers that come through Wilson-Smith’s small-but-mighty rescue shelter, The Bay Tree Rescue.
These photographs are stunning in artistry and capture the emotion the lovelorn pups experience in a way that will make you want to take them all home furever!
Holroyd shared the strays situation in Cyprus with PetaPixel:
“The current stray dog situation in Cyprus is very bad. Animal cruelty in Cyprus is at an all-time high. Dogs are being dumped, beaten and tortured for absolutely no reason other than amusement. Cyprus has no animal cruelty laws so almost every day a beaten or abandoned dog is left on her doorstep.”
Holroyd says he styled these photos to amplify the characteristics and personality of each dog. Milly’s portrait above has been inspired by the ‘mermaid’ concept because she has a disability that’s caused her back legs to stick together.
These photographs and more have been compiled into a coffee table book where all proceeds will be going to The Bay Tree Rescue shelter, so they may help more strays by offering them a temporary home while they wait to be adopted. If you’d like to purchase this book of stunning photos, bound on over to Amazon. You can also lend a paw over on their fundraising page.
