Other Equipment

There is some other equipment you will want to bring with you to the shelter. This equipment includes:

• Black or dark brown leash and collar - A black or dark brown leash and collar is best when photographing dogs. Avoid leashes and collars with bright colors since they will distract the viewer. We prefer a black cloth or chain training collar with a metal ring on each end since these can be quickly put onto different size dogs.
• Small notebook - Useful for recording animal information (registration numbers, description, and so on) with frame numbers.
• Brush - For brushing cats and dogs.
• Small towel or handkerchief - For cleaning up dog drool.
• Tissues - Useful for cleaning eye and nose leakage in dogs and cats.
• Antibacterial gel - Your handler should use either wash their hands or use antibacterial gel in between handling animals to ensure that you are not transmitting any diseases from animal to animal.
• Noisemakers - Whistles, bird calls, kazoos, and any other weird noise maker you can find can be helpful for getting an animal's attention. Often, the weirder the noise the better! After the first few times an animal hears a noise that same noise is no longer a novelty and is therefore not effective in getting the animal's attention any longer, so the more variety you have the better.
• Treats - Having some dog and cat treats is also a good way to get an animal's attention and to reward them for a job well done when they cooperate.
• Knee pads - Knee pads are useful when photographing dogs outside. We always try to photograph the dogs at eye level which mean that I have to kneel or sit on the ground for every shot and knee pads help keep my pants clean and make it more comfortable for me to kneel.

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