Heartbreaking Photos Show How Much Living In A Dog Shelter For 6 Years Changes A Dog

Photographer Sophie Gamand has been volunteering at animal shelters and rescues for about 9 years. Gamand travels around the country and takes pictures of dogs in need to help them find homes. One of her most known projects is called Pit Bull Flower Power, where she perfectly showed the gentle side of these often misunderstood doggos.

In 2016, Gamand visited the Calhoun County Humane Society in Anniston, Alabama. There, she photographed 54 dogs and most of them have since been adopted. But not Grey. In fact, he was brought there a few years before Gamand visited the place. And he's still living there.

Recently, Grey sat down to pose for Emily Covington of Wags to Riches Photography, a group of volunteers who provide free photography services to shelters and rescues to increase positive outcomes for homeless animals.

When you put his newest portraits right next to the old ones, you immediately notice that the fur around Grey's eyes and muzzle has become white, and his expression has gotten a bit more serious. Grey is getting older, and, sadly, it's happening at a shelter.

Grey grew up as a yard dog with his brother and mom but they all ended up at the Alabama shelter. "They had very little life experience," Gamand told Bored Panda.

His mom and brother were eventually adopted. Perry Carter (Grey's brother), for example, traveled to NYC, was renamed Judge, and now happily lives with a Chihuahua.

But Grey hasn't found his forever home yet. "It's sad to see these brothers' paths diverged so dramatically over the years," Gamand added.

And it's not like Grey is causing difficulties or anything. "He loves people. He loves treats and takes them gently. He has also learned to play, and how to be a doggie over the years."

"The shelter doesn't see many adopters because of their location. They are in rural Alabama," Gamand explained. "They work really hard at placing their dogs with out-of-state rescues, but often rescues will pick dogs who are easier to place."

Grey's only issue is that he doesn't like other dogs. "He can't have dog friends. He can walk past them OK, but face-to-face interaction has been an issue for him. So he needs to be the only pet at home, and probably won't be able to have dog friends. That limits the pool of adopters even more. And so the years went by, and other -- more adoptable -- dogs took his place over and over again. That's the sad reality for dogs like him, unfortunately."