Columbus Ohio Photography by Danielle Neil

I stopped out at CHA Animal Shelter’s Picnic with the Pups Saturday for a bit to take some photos of the event for the shelter. Wow, so much going on for their summer gathering! There were vendors, live music, food and drink, a silent auction and the chance to meet the animals up for adoption! The best part of all, CHA posted on Facebook that they had a record 33 dogs and cats adopted over the weekend! Glad that so many animals had the opportunity to find their new fur-ever homes!

I had the chance to visit with some of the vendors and also other animal rescue groups that had booths at the event. I spent some time talking to Kimberly of Potty Pocket, who offers adorable bags that have one pocket that you can throw your keys, phone, etc. in when you’re off to walk your dog. And the second pocket is for when you are ready to clean-up after your dog, with a slit at the bottom of the Potty Pocket, you can pull out a potty bag. And the Pockets are made locally in Columbus! I also talked with Good Nature Organic Lawn Care, I’m excited that they’ll be stopping out to my home this week for an estimate on natural and chemical-free lawn treatments. Baxter is not pleased when we currently have our lawn treated and he can’t roam free in the back yard for a few days.

I love Beagles and wouldn’t you know that the Beagles rrrrrrr Us rescue group was also at the event. I got to meet just a few of the Beagles that are available for adoption. They get their Beagles from pounds where they are about to be euthanized. What a bunch of sweeties these pups are! Beagles rrrrrrr Us is located in London, OH and they attend the various Franklin County dog events, so be sure to check them out if you’re a Beagle lover like I am!!

Here’s some of the photos from CHA’s wonderful event. Stop by the CHA website CHAAnimalshelter.org to find out about all the the dogs and cats available for adoption and to find out more about their upcoming events!

The CHA Animal Shelter has two great events coming up on the same day. Saturday, July 17th starts with 11 a.m. registration for the Hogs for Dogs Poker Run and then at 4 p.m. starts the Picnic with the Pups! The Poker run has five stops over 75 miles which ends at CHA’s shelter where Picnic with the Pups is also held. The picnic includes free live music, vendors, food, shelter tours and more! It’s a great event and leashed dogs are welcomed to the picnic. For more information visit CHA’s website www.chaanimalshelter.org. I’m offering a special package in this year’s Picnic with the Pups silent auction for a session and a large wall print. I also plan on stopping out at the event, right outside Westerville, and bringing my camera along to capture some photographs of this great event! Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Yes, you read the title right, it’s not I typo! Saturday afternoon I headed out to meet up with Terri, Graham and their 7 fabulous dogs! When we initially planned this session it was for 5 dogs but in the time since we booked they adopted two more. Terri works for the CHA Animal Shelter and I’m amazed she doesn’t have more than 7 dogs. If I worked at the shelter I’d be in big trouble, how do you not fall in love with all the dogs (and cats) that are in need of a home?!?!

Here’s an informal photo of the whole group. I had hoped to get a group shot of the bunch, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I’ll be posting later this week with more images from this fun session.

All of the Columbus pet lovers out there, be sure to mark your calendar’s to attend the 2010 Paws to Party!! Join the CHA Animal Shelter on February 12, 2010 for an evening of wine and food tastings, as well as a silent auction to help raise funds for our furry friends! Paws to Party will be held at the Graystone Wine Cellar located in the Brewery District. Danielle Neil Photography is glad to participate in raising money for the CHA by donating a portrait package retailing over $500 to this year’s auction. Tickets are available online at the Paw to Party website.

For those of you in the Columbus area who are not familiar with CHA (Citizens for Humane Action), since 1975 this nonprofit animal shelter has been providing safe, temporary shelter and care for abandoned or otherwise homeless cats and dogs. CHA has placed thousands of animals in loving homes. If you’re a dog lover like me, this is a great local organization to support!