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| Photographer Linda Warlond. |
Linda Warlond is a former veterinary nurse, award-winning photographer
and co-founder and co-director of Pets in the Park. She spoke to SAT about capturing the bond between homeless people and their non-human companions.
How
did you become involved in Pets in the Park?
My dearest friend Vicki Cawsey was on a mission to
service the homeless community and their animal companions. She went on a
search to see if there was any veterinary service for the homeless to help care
for their pets. This is when she found Dr Mark Westman who was offering
vaccinations for pets of the homeless community in the Parramatta area. My
background is veterinary nursing so it was natural that Vicki invited me to
join in on her mission to set up a clinic at Darlinghurst. At this time we
joined forces along with Dr Mark Westman and Dr Leah Skelsey and established
Pets in the Park Darlinghurst.
You
are the official photographer for PITP. Why is it important to document this
initiative?
I love my role as official photographer for PITP, that is
in a volunteer capacity. The images I share with PITP help raise awareness of
the services we offer. Photographs highlight the love between the owner and pet
and help breakdown judgement on who should and should not have a companion
animal in their lives.
Companion animals in many cases are providing a community
service and deserve basic health care. The photographs I take show the animals
being cared for and the volunteers that help care for them. My photographs also
document the commitment of the companion animal owners bringing them to the
monthly clinics at PTIP where they are welcomed and acknowledged for taking
responsibility in attending the monthly clinics to receive all the basic
treatments and health checks needed.
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| Love is the colour: a beautiful portrait by Linda Worland. |
What
non-humans do you share your life with?
My family share a home with a 13-year-old Whippet named
Chilli, a 3-year-old Papion x Pomeranian named Vincenzo – mostly known as Enzo –
and two Koi carp – Hiro and Tako.
How
did you meet?
My family and I thought very carefully about what dog
would best suit our lifestyle at the time we chose Chilli. I have to say he has
been a very special dog and we could not have made a better choice for us. Enzo
had been surrendered to a vet clinic with a condition that required around the
clock nursing care. He spent the first six months of his life at a veterinary
clinic. I took him home for some respite and the rest is history. The koi are
so calming to watch and are handfed by my husband every afternoon.
What
do you do to spend time together?
I love spending time with Chilli and Enzo in the bush or
beach walk with their playmates. However I work many hours a week so it is not unusual
for them to join me in the car while I run errands or to keep my office couch
warm while I’m editing. We love our afternoon meet and greet at our local oval
where all the dogs from our street come together. Snuggle time when watching TV
or taking a nap on the garden couch. Enzo likes nothing more than when he hears
the word “bedtime!”. He very quickly makes his way to the end of my bed to nest
in for the night. Chilli is in his senior years and prefers to have a bed of
his own that
he doesn’t have to jump up to and he can stretch out.
What’s
the most important thing that you’ve learned about caring for the non-humans in
your life?
Love them, feed them and never leave them.
What
could we do to make the world better for non-human animals?
Choose carefully when adopting or purchasing a companion
animal. Research the breed and their most common conditions. Spend time with
them! Include them. Something that stands out for me with the companion animals
I see at PITP is how well adjusted and well behaved so many of them are and I
put it down to the time spent with their companion and not at home in a yard
alone for the best part of any day.
Any
advice you’d like to share with veterinarians and future veterinarians?
I recommend if veterinarians have the opportunity to
volunteer in a charity program like PITP to do so. They could expect to meet
others from all areas of their industry and no doubt continue to both learn and
share their knowledge in a rewarding environment.
Tell
us about your most recent exhibition, Love is the Colour?
A series of mostly black and white portraits that reveal
the love and enrichment pets give their owners who are homeless.
Working on this series and meeting the people behind the
exterior has been a pleasure and a privilege and is often very moving. Everyone
has a story to tell, but many of these lives are much more extreme in both
their simplicity and their complexity. Interacting with these fascinating faces
of our city and their animal companions is a project very close to my heart.
My aim was to produce strong and sympathetic images that
would help raise awareness of those experiencing homelessness in Sydney and
then continue to document the fabulous effort to help ensure this situation is
supported.
Thank
you Linda. Check out Linda’s work on Instagram clique.photography.sydney, or
visit her website here.
