Landfill Dogs: The Photo Project That Gave Shelter Dogs a Second Chance

What Landfill Dogs was

Shannon Johnstone is a photographer and an associate professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2012 she asked her county shelter, the Wake County Animal Center, if she could take its longest-held dog out once a week and photograph it. Every dog had been waiting for a home for at least two weeks.

Each outing gave the dog a car ride, a walk, treats and about two hours of one-on-one attention, away from the noise of the kennels. Johnstone then shared the portraits online with the dog’s name and story so people could meet them and apply to adopt. The series ran for several years, reached a following of more than 37,000 people on Facebook, and was covered by ABC World News in December 2013 and by CNN in 2014.

Why a landfill?

The photos were taken at Landfill Park, a former landfill turned into a public park. In Wake County, the animal shelter and the landfill were run by the same county management, and dogs that were never adopted were euthanized and buried at the landfill. Johnstone wrote that the setup treated “homeless cats and dogs” as “just another waste stream”. She also saw the park as a sign of hope: a place where buried waste had been turned into something green and beautiful, much like a dog given a second chance.

Why photos matter for shelter dog adoption

For most adopters, the first meeting with a shelter dog is a photo on a phone screen. A blurry picture of a dog pressed against kennel bars is easy to scroll past. A clear portrait that shows the dog’s face, size and character gives people a reason to stop, read the description and call the shelter.

Landfill Dogs showed how much that can matter. By the time a 2017 report was written, 156 of the 180 dogs photographed had been adopted or sent to a rescue. Many of these were dogs that had already waited longer than most.

Research is more modest about single photo details. A 2020 study of 8,332 dogs on an Australian rescue website found that things like the background, a closed mouth or the type of ears changed how long dogs waited by a few days. Some results were surprising: dogs shown wearing collars or with toys waited slightly longer, and polished professional photos with a copyright mark did not help. The authors noted that the effects were small. The lesson for shelters and foster carers is simple: an honest, well-lit photo of the dog’s face, shared widely and updated often, does more than props or fancy editing.

How to photograph a small shelter dog

Tiny dogs end up in shelters too, and they can be the hardest to photograph well. They are small, they move fast, and many freeze or shake in a loud kennel. These steps work for shelter volunteers, foster carers and anyone listing a small dog for adoption:

1. Get down to their level. Sit or lie on the floor so the camera is at the dog’s eye height. Shot from standing height, a tiny dog looks like a small blur of fur.
2. Use soft daylight. Work near a window or in open shade. Turn the flash off, because it startles small dogs and makes eyes glow.
3. Pick a quiet spot with a plain background. A calm room or a corner of a yard is better than the kennel row. A plain wall or blanket makes the dog stand out.
4. Keep the eyes clear. Brush hair away from the eyes of long-coated dogs and wipe away tear stains before you start. The eyes are what people connect with first.
5. Get their attention, then wait. Let the dog sniff the camera first. Use a squeaky noise or a small treat held just above the lens (check with staff before giving treats), and keep sessions short.
6. Show the real size. Add one photo of the dog next to a hand, on a lap or beside a common object, so adopters know exactly how small the dog is.
7. Show their character. Add a photo of the dog doing something: playing, curled up on a blanket or walking on a lead. One honest action shot says more than a list of adjectives.
8. Update the photo. If a dog has been waiting for weeks, a new photo can make an old listing feel new again. That is exactly why Landfill Dogs focused on the dogs that had waited longest.

Where the Landfill Dogs project lives on today

The weekly photo shoots have ended, but the portraits are still collected in the Landfill Dogs book, published in late 2015, and in the many news and art stories written about the project. The project’s old website address, landfilldogs.info, is now part of Tiny Loving Canines, and this page keeps the story in one place for anyone who follows an old link. Read the history of Tiny Loving Canines to see how the site began.

To be clear about who did what: Landfill Dogs was the work of Shannon Johnstone and the Wake County Animal Center. Tiny Loving Canines did not create the project and does not speak for the photographer or the shelter. All Landfill Dogs photos belong to the photographer.

The idea behind the project is still in use today. Many shelters and rescues now work with volunteer photographers, and a single good photo shared by the right person can still change a dog’s chances.

Find a small dog to adopt

Tiny Loving Canines is not a rescue and does not rehome or sell dogs. If this story has made you think about adopting, here is where to start:

• Your local animal shelter. County and city shelters take in small dogs of every age, from young Chihuahua mixes to senior lap dogs.
• Breed rescues. Most popular small breeds have volunteer-run rescue groups that place dogs from shelters and owner surrenders. Many foster dogs in homes, so they can tell you how a dog behaves day to day.
• Foster first. If you are not sure you are ready, ask a shelter or rescue whether you can foster. It helps the dog and shows you what life with a small dog is like.

Be careful with sellers who call themselves a rescue but ask for payment before you have met the dog, will not let you visit, or advertise “teacup” puppies. Tiny teacup dogs are often bred very small on purpose and can have serious health problems. A genuine shelter or rescue will want to meet you, ask about your home and explain the adoption fee.

Before you meet a dog, read up on the breed or mix you are considering in our small dog breeds guide, and find care, training and health advice on the Tiny Loving Canines blog.

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Landfill Dogs and shelter photography: FAQs