When photographer Briggs Houston and his girlfriend, Kristin DaSilva, had to suddenly cancel a pet portrait and marketplace event at their studio Guilded Productions, the couple was left scrambling to find a replacement event for the over a dozen vendors and countless interested attendees.
With less than two weeks to revamp, Houston and DaSilva pulled off a celebratory day all about dogs that exceeded their imaginations outside the Connetquot Masonic Lodge 838 on Main Street in Sayville on May 3.
The “Paws and Portraits Spring Pup Market” brought together good canine boys and girls from across Long Island, with vendors offering pet products like specialty foods and toys, as well as foster, adoption, and health services.
“We just really wanted to get a bunch of community people together… to do an event that could benefit everybody,” DaSilva, who owns two Australian shepherds, Ozzy and Gibby, with Houston, said.
Along with professional portraits shot by Houston, a number of organizations and businesses offered their services, including Last Chance Animal Rescue, which offered around a dozen dogs up for adoption—four of whom found their forever home at the event.
“[It’s] a lot of great publicity for the dogs,” said Courtney Skahill of Last Chance Animal Rescue.
The rescue service is always in need of people to foster animals, Skahill said, and those interested in learning more can visit www.lcarescue.org.
“All of these dogs come from shelters, many of them are coming from the kill lists, unfortunately, just because of overpopulation,” Skahill said. “We’re looking for fosters and volunteers to help us save as many as we can.”
Haki Rowe and his girlfriend, Akilah Woooten, arrived at the pup market somewhat interested in adopting a dog, but when they found a strongly bonded pair of mixed-breed pups, they instantly fell in love, adopted the sisters, and cared for them throughout the event.
Other vendors and partners at the market included Chris Striano of All Island K9 Services, a dog training and behavior specialist, Park Hills Animal Hospital and a number of small businesses catering to dogs’ tastes.
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