If a picture paints a thousand words, then photographer Kat De Laet is a prolific writer. She’s internationally acclaimed, and volunteers her time and talent to capture the real personality of shelter dogs to help get them adopted.
Her images are powerful and elegant. In 1/300th of a second, her camera captures the true essence of an animal. Her pictures are a snapshot of the loving bond between people and their pets.
“It solidifies something that you can't touch,” De Laet said. "And I love that for people.”
And it is those human bonds she hopes shelter animals will find, by letting people see the animals through her lens. “I just hope that people see a pet that could be a part of their family,” she said.
For the last year, De Laet has volunteered her time each month to take pictures of animals at the San Diego Humane Society — especially ones that have waited in the shelter for months without any interest. She said her images highlight the importance of showing each animal as the individual it is, with its own story — that could take a positive turn with her help.
One of those animals is Maserati, a Doberman Pinscher. His regal and sleek composition was cutely complimented by a dapper bowtie collar, ready for his glamour shot.
“I do love it and I really hope that I can make a difference by doing it,” De Laet said. “I just like hanging out with dogs.”
She takes her time, gives space, and lets the dogs lead the photo session, with lots of treats, toys, and water breaks along the way.
She uses her full vocal range to make different sounds, encouraging the dogs to look her way with curiosity and excitement. She discovered a great tool to get a glorious head tilt on Napoleon, the German Shepherd who had been at the shelter since August 2025.
“I cut this out of an old toy,” De Laet said, holding a small piece of plastic. “So, just a squeaker. But I use it as a whistle.”
The story of why an adult dog ends up at a shelter is always sad. In their intake photos, Napoleon and Maserati look like different dogs. Their soulful eyes reflect their insecurity and uncertainty of their new overstimulating environment.
But with TLC and a little photo magic, their new photos showcase their natural exuberance, and often goofy natures.
“The eyes, the ears, the smile. Having volunteers take pictures, like Kat, helps a lot because it lets these animals show their true personality,” said Humane Society spokesperson, Nina Thompson. She said De Laet’s photos can really show a potential adopter what they’re bringing home.
Thompson said the Humane Society has more than 750 adult dogs in their care, so it takes a team with many different talents to give these animals a second chance.
“It doesn't matter what type of job you do for a living. You can probably help us with your skills. There's all kinds of ways you can support animals in need," said Thompson.
And supporting the needs of animals is what De Laet has squarely in her viewfinder, with one shutter click at a time. An animal's new image can change its life story.
It did for Maserati. The Doberman was found as a stray in Paradise Hills. He was microchipped but remained unclaimed. He was adopted the day after his glamour shot was uploaded to the Humane Society’s website.
So far, the story hasn't been quite as happy for Napoleon, the German Shepherd. The day his photo was posted to the SDHS website, he was adopted by a family who already had another German Shepherd. But the two dogs did not get along, and Napoleon was returned to the Humane Society.
Thompson says in an instance like this, the shelter is happy to take him back and will make it a criteria that he is adopted as the only dog in a home. The family that returned him kindly offered to pay the adoption fee for the next adopter — giving Napoleon another chance at a happy ending.
"If I can change a life or two with them, even if it's, like, just one,” said De Laet, “that's amazing.”
