Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Cruz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My education regarding Pit Bulls and Pit Bull type dogs was something that progressed over a few years. It’s not that I was ever afraid of them or had a negative perception about them, I just had not heard much about them or knew of anyone that had one. My journey with these misunderstood dogs all started in April of 2007 when Bad Newz Kennels was being investigated for a dog fighting ring and subsequently, Michael Vick was arrested on state and felony charges. Living in Atlanta and being an Atlanta Falcons fan, this is when my education began.
Seeing the images that were being shared during the media coverage of Michael Vick’s arrest, of these poor dogs and how they were treated, made me so angry and broke my heart at the same time. Although I followed the coverage, I didn’t know what I could to do help.
Then, 2008 through 2010, I became obsessed with the show DogTown on National Geographic, filmed at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab Utah. This show was fantastic, not only because what they do for 100’s of animals but specifically what they did for the Vick dogs that were brought there. So, in July of 2010, I decided to volunteer there and got the opportunity to meet some of the Vick dogs that were still living there. Most had been adopted to great homes and had even become Canine Good Citizens. While volunteering, I was lucky enough to meet Lucas (RIP). Lucas was court ordered to spend his life at BFAS and he wore the special red collar showing that only staff could handle him. Lucas had the scars of his past life all over his face. However, I stood right in front of him speaking to his handler while he wagged his tail so hard his whole body shook. I watched him give kisses and love to his handler and then jump into a golf cart sitting shotgun with that big Pit Bull smile on his face. That is when I realized how special and forgiving these dogs are and deep down I knew I would rescue one of these misunderstood dogs one day.
In October of 2010, the documentary Beyond the Myth had a screening here in Atlanta (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it). I got to meet my second Vick-tory dog, Hector. The sweetest most adorable little man, dressed in his fancy tuxedo, accepting love and pats from complete strangers. (Hector 4/7/2007 – 10/27/2014 – RIP sweet boy) Another example of the resilience of these wonderful animals.
One month later, November of 2010, I became a proud Aunt to a beautiful blue pit bull named Maurice (or the Space Cowboy as we like to call him) who my sister rescued from a shelter that was going to be shutting its doors in Detroit. Once I met this big goofy love bug with his cinder block head and his penchant for hamming it up in front of a camera… I didn’t need any more convincing that the media had it all wrong about these dogs.
September 2013, I started volunteering at Fulton County Animal Services here in Atlanta, taking photos of dogs that needed homes to help them get adopted. Living in the city of Atlanta, I know how lucky we are because we do not have breed restrictions, however, there are restrictions in surrounding areas. We do see a lot of pit bulls get adopted out of this shelter, but there are still so many more that need homes. So, one day in early December, I happened upon the most pitiful face on the shelters Facebook page. We named him Charlie Brown and as of December 31st, 2013 he officially became a member of our family and my hunch back in 2010 became a reality.
As they say, when you adopt the dog you adopt the cause. I started to become more involved in Pit Bull advocacy in the Atlanta area. Then, I heard about the One Million Pibble March to end BSL nationwide put on by Rebecca Corry and her Stand up for Pits Foundation (May of 2014). My sister contacted me and said she was going, my girlfriend Angie who lives in the DC area (and had recently rescued a pit bull) was going, so I booked my ticket. It was an extremely moving day and Rebecca challenged us to start local and to educate. This is how Shine A Light ATL came to be. I found a lot of meaning and similarities to what I was trying to achieve with this campaign in the Martin Luther King Jr. quote:
“Stereotypes are like shadows, shine a light on them and they disappear.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
So that is my goal with this project, take my love of photography and passion for rescue and make those shadows disappear. My hope is that through images and the stories of the people who have rescued their best friend/family member(s), it will help educate those who are still in doubt about this wonderful type of dog. They are just like any other family pet out there, they are special.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge so far has been getting this message nationally or even internationally spread. Even though I am located in Atlanta, this message is one that applies everywhere and there are people everywhere that need to hear it. When I am able, I have gone to other cities and found volunteers to share their stories, places like Denver, Colorado and it’s surrounding areas which notoriously has Breed Specific Legislation in place, as well as Washington DC. where I was motivated to create this campaign.
I continue to use social media to spread the word and reach out to larger animal welfare organizations to help. Doing this for four years now, I thought I might end the campaign and focus my efforts elsewhere, because I felt like I wasn’t doing enough outside the city of Atlanta, the message wasn’t being shared. Then I realized, it is being shared here and my volunteers thank me every time for what I am doing for these dogs. So, even though I won’t stop trying to get the message more widespread, I also won’t stop what I am doing locally because there is work to be done here as well.
My advice for other women starting their journey would be to stay focused and don’t lose sight of your goal. That goal may have many levels. more immediate achievements as well as long-range achievements. Be sure to keep both on site at all times and don’t lose one for the other.
What should we know about Shine A Light ATL?
This campaign is actually something that I do in addition to my full-time job. This is 100% a passion project and no livings are being made from this work. 🙂 Basically, it involves finding volunteers who have rescued their pit bull type dog and are willing to tell their story. I do this via social media, word of mouth, friends of friends. I even have cards with me at all times so if I am out and about in Atlanta and I see someone with a dog that qualifies, I will stop them, hand them a card and tell them about Shine A Light ATL in the hopes they will reach out and want to volunteer.
Once I get the volunteers, I schedule time slots (usually weekends) for their photo shoots. Then, spend my weekends taking pictures of adorable dogs. Of course, the kisses, tail wags and pets that I get in return, are pretty good currency in my mind. Since I can end up taking over 200 pictures per sitting, I spend a lot of time (hours) after that editing and choosing the final photos to support their stories. My goal is to get at least one new story out a week.
What I am most proud of with this project, outside of the number of volunteers that have signed up to participate, is that my career experience in marketing led me to the realization that I need to have a “branded” element to this campaign. Something that when people saw it, they knew it was Shine A Light ATL. So, I went with a bow tie that is made from a material that has abstract light bulbs printed on it (shining light, get it?). Every dog takes the branded photo with the bow tie and we aim for a similar pose in each one. The dog looking up into the light that will erase the stereotypes that surround it. We recently even have taken that a little farther and partnered with a local dog collar company called 5 Dog Designs Boutique to create the Shine A Light ATL collar which uses the same material, so the dogs can wear that bow tie 24/7!
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Finding a mentor, my simple advice is just ask. Find someone who you respect with the experience you want to learn from and just ask them. Same holds true for networking, You can’t be shy if you want to expand your network or knowledge in a certain area. Utilize your existing contacts to meet additional people, ask friends if they know of anyone that you could speak with.
In my case, I am a pretty “seasoned” individual but I am smart enough to know when I need some fresh ideas to increase my messages impact. So, I utilize friends and other advocates who are working in the animal rescue arena, who are social media savvy and can put some new ideas into my head that I can execute on.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.shineliteatl.com/
- Email: shineliteATL@gmail.com
- Instagram: @shineliteATL
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shinealightATL/
- Twitter: @shineliteATL
Image Credit:
Colleen Cruz for Shine A Light ATL
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