Shelter Superlatives
ONE ASTORIA WOMAN IS DOING HER
PART TO HELP GET SENIOR DOGS
ADOPTED
Astoria resident Diana Weisman has always been
Tpassionate about animal adoption. hrough her previous experience
working in a cat shelter,
she was introduced to
a world which she refers to
as “a beautiful space,” surrounded
by people with a
shared mission and passion.
At the same time, she witnessed firsthand
the difficulties shelters face in
facilitating adoptions — especially
when it comes to senior animals.
“When you bring up senior animals
to people, most of the time the first
thought is, ‘I won’t have a long time
with them. Why would I do that?’’ Weisman
said. “That was really what made
me think to myself, ‘How can I change
people’s hearts and minds about this?’
I work in advertising, so if I can make an
ad campaign encouraging adoption,
what would that look like? Who are the
animals whose stories really need to be
put out there? I immediately thought of
senior animals.”
And The Senior Superlatives Project
was born. Weisman, an art director,
partnered with photographer Julia
Comita, prop stylist Sasha Flimlin,
an all-female crew of volunteers and
Second Chance Shelter in Brooklyn to
create a series of photographs showcasing
eight adoptable and oh-soadorable
senior pups.
“I wanted people to think about the
future differently, and when I think about
the quintessential ‘crystal ball of the future’
that everyone has experienced at
some point in their life, it’s superlatives,”
Weisman said. “Not only does it give a
phrase to who that person is at the time,
but it also glances into their future. I really
wanted people to envision themselves
with these dogs and envision these moments
that really encapsulate what it
means to have a dog.”
The dogs were assigned superlatives
that complemented their personalities,
such “Future Car Ride Companion”
for adventurous shepherd-mix James
and “Most Likely to Think They’re a Lap
Dog” for cuddly Labrador-mix Elvis. The
team then built scenes around each
superlative, with bright backgrounds
outfitted with applicable props: a construction
paper forest for “Future Trail
Blazer” Sherlock, a well-worn armchair
PETS
BY ESTELLE PYPER
@ESTIEPYPER @ESTIE_PYPER
14 APRI L 2 0 2 0