Dog Divas: Clayton's Brighton Promotes Adoptions with Animal Protective Association

Ten adoption-eligible dogs got pampered and photographed in style last week as part of a collaboration between 's and the Brentwood-based .

The goal of the campaign—titled Pics of the Litter—is to spotlight dogs who have been at the APA since as far back as November.

"There's nothing wrong with these dogs," said Becky Krueger, APA's director of education and public relations. "They're happy, they're healthy, they're friendly."

Dogs such as those who are older, have darker fur or are higher-energy sometimes aren't adopted as quickly as others, she said. While the APA's website includes photos of these prospective pets, high-quality images often aren't available because of limited resources. That can affect how people perceive the animals.

At the suggestion of Brighton public relations account executive Jazzy Loyal, the company partnered with the. Loyal adopted Laika, a female corgi mix, from the APA.

St. Louis photographer Lynn Terry donated her time on Wednesday to capture the pooches' best sides.

"I'll do anything I can for the cause to rescue animals," said Terry, who has also done pro bono work for Phoenix Pack, a St. Louis-area pit bull rescue group.

There are a number of challenges to photographing shelter dogs, she said. Some have a high energy level after spending time in a kennel, and knowledge of commands can be limited. Others are frightened by lights and camera lenses because of negative experiences in the past.

But she added: "So far, it's been great."

Terry fosters pets and has four companion animals—a pit bull named Storm, a mutt named DeeDee, and two cats, Fruitbat and Zombo.

The session featuring plush couches and other furniture happened on the second floor of the Herbaria building in St. Louis city. On the street outside, the APA's mobile carrier held pups in waiting.

The APA had the difficult decision of selecting the 10 dogs to be photographed and featured on the Pics of the Litter website. Employees then bathed the dogs, let them burn off some energy outdoors in large dog runs and loaded them onto the mobile unit.

A preview website launches Monday, and the full version is expected to go live on Valentine's Day.

Fenton-based FURminator donated equipment for de-shedding the pups and provided each with a goodie bag. Its trademark de-shedder has an edge designed to grab the undercoat and reduce shedding by up to 90 percent, marketing director Cathy Heimberger said.

That could help families who might be reluctant to adopt because of concerns about shedding and allergens, she said. 

"It's just an awesome endeavor," Heimberger said of the adoption campaign.