PET PROJECT Local photog’s charitable eye for homeless animals draws national focus
Professional photographer Monica Hoover shoots from the heart. Her locally based company, Rescued Cards (rescuedcards.com), publishes greeting cards with high-quality photos of animals needing homes—raising awareness and funds for rescue organizations. “These groups need marketing and money,” says Hoover, whose adoption of two rescued pit bulls moved her to action. “I wanted to take better photos of rescue animals to improve their chances of getting adopted.” Hoover turned her lens on the furry charges of The Barking Lot, a shelter in El Cajon, and Friends of the Humane Society de Tijuana, a San Diego volunteer organization that provides rescue and other services in the Mexican city. Her resulting line of sustainably produced greeting
cards—introduced last spring in partnership with her husband, Justin Ternes, and graphic designer Justin Clark—has expanded to include shelters across the country. (Fifteen percent of profits support the featured pets.) Hoover’s work impressed the San Diegobased, non-profit Petco Foundation, which has chosen Rescued Cards to lead its annual Tree of Hope holiday fundraiser for animal shelters and rescue organizations. A six-card set is offered in exchange for a $20 donation at more than 1,100 Petco retail locations nationwide (and at petcofoundation.org). “I’m not a hero,” Hoover says. “I’m just trying to expose the selflessness and dedication rescuers have in saving the lives of so many animals.” —Dean Lamanna
50,000 A
pproximate number of
rescue animals (mainly cats and dogs) in San Diego County that need homes.
Helen Woodward Animal Center volunteer Christina Lee with one of the facility’s adoptable friends.
pacificsandiego.com
63