Pictures for pooches: A WHS volunteer story

The Winnipeg Humane Society would be nothing without the help and support of our amazing volunteers. They truly are the centre of our organization and we appreciate all of their efforts!

Jim Harvey is a long-time volunteer who is using one of his hobbies to help The WHS. Jim is a photographer who has taken some gorgeous shots of the animals and our volunteers at The WHS.

Jim finds volunteering an important aspect in his life. He believes it is his way to make a difference in the world, and it helps him break up his daily work routine. He started as a dog walker in 2007, back at our old location on Kent Street. Prior to that he volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters for seven years!

Jim started volunteering with The WHS because he missed his dog. Before volunteering he lived in an apartment with his dog and enjoyed going for daily walks. At the end of her 11 years, walking became an integral part of Jim’s life and he started to miss it. Dog walking with The WHS fulfilled that little part of him after his dog passed away.

“The reason I continue to volunteer at The WHS is because I really love working with dogs. I think it is such a unique relationship that we have with dogs and I am always amazed at their ability to bond with us. I’m also happy to work with an organization such as the WHS that places so much value on animal welfare and education,” Jim says.

Eventually Jim adopted a new dog, but his passion for volunteering did not fade. Rain or shine, heat or cold, Jim was always at The WHS and ready to spend time with the dogs. He can’t think of a time where he did not finish a shift feeling happy!

Jim walked dogs for six years. He received an e-mail asking for volunteers who would like to start working with the dogs in back area as a Kennel Buddy. Jim is never one to shy away from challenge and embraces change, so he signed up!  Jim started spending more time one-on-one with the dogs.

“It can be very difficult and stressful for some of the dogs that find their way into The WHS. Some seem to crave contact so much and will scooch right in if you get down to their level,” Jim says. “Touch is the most direct communication I can have with them. It’s during this time they seem to get a little peace and comfort from the situation they are in at The WHS.”

Earlier this year Jim started on a new path within The WHS. He’s been a hobbyist photographer over the last few years and was trying to find his latest inspiration. He wanted to photograph something he was passionate about and it didn’t take long to put his love of dogs and photography together. He started his first shift as a volunteer photographer in March 2015. He comes to The WHS once a month with his camera in stow and ready to snap photos of the animals in our care.

He’s enjoyed capturing the range of emotions the animals express. He’s found the animals portray a wide variety of emotions such as: playfulness, anticipation, mischief, fearfulness, and even sadness. He says the eyes are the most important tool when taking photos because they tell the animal’s story.

“I’ve found this type of photography requires a quality that typically has not been one of my strong attributes: patience,” Jim says. “But I think the strong appreciation for dogs, along with the desire to tell a story with a picture makes it easier to slow down and wait for the situation to unfold.”

Jim’s talented work goes beyond the photos shown in this blog. See his portfolio here.