RALEIGH -- Renee Sprink is a Raleigh photographer and a dog lover. She's combining both passions to give back to the community.
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She's taking pictures of pups for a special book, called "Dogs of the Triangle." It's all to raise money for Second Chance Pet Adoptions, a no-kill animal rescue organization.
"I just wanted to find a way to combine all of those things and the book was kind of born out of that, really,” said Sprink. “So I wanted to do something to give back, and to do something nice for the dogs and find a way to help them, because there are so many stray and homeless dogs and cats in the area."
"We feel very lucky to have been chosen by Renee,” said Rachel Cronmiller, the Development and Communications Manager for Second Chance. “There's a lot of great rescues in the area and she could have picked any of them. So the fact that she picked second chance is a real honor."
Dog owners who want their furry star in the book have to make a $200 donation to Second Chance. Then they get a photo shoot with Sprink and a copy of the book.
So far, they've raised more than $18,000. “With the funds that are generated by this project we are paying mostly for medical care for the animals to treat whatever illnesses and injuries they might have at intake,” explained Cronmiller. “But we also will buy food for them, we pay rent for the facility. We do have some overhead costs, but by and large the funds are going directly to the animals."
Sprink says the outpouring of support has just been amazing. "I really didn't know what to expect, because we've never done something like this before,” explained Sprink. “It's better probably, than what we expected. I think we're going to far surpass our goal of 100 dogs since we're almost there now and we've still got almost two months left to take reservations. I feel really good about what we've done so far."
And while this Everyday Hero is donating these photo shoots, she's making sure to get lots of puppy kisses in return.
"Dogs of the Triangle" features all dogs, not just rescues.
If you want *your* dog in the book, they're taking reservations throughout the summer. They're hoping to have the book published by the end of the year.
If you're interested in getting a copy of this book, you will have to fill out an order form ahead of time, which will be posted on the Second Chance website. For more information, click here.