Yes, Your Dog Belongs in the Pages of a Coffee Table Book
Here's how to make it happen.
There are plenty of reasons we love dogs. They’re soft and furry. They make us laugh. They follow behind us as if their whole world revolves around us. They somehow know when we’ve had a bad day before we even say a word.
They can sense us, adjust accordingly, and provide comfort. In essence, they pay attention. And isn’t that what love really is? Caring and trusting enough to pay such close attention to the one you love?
Local photographer Amy Zounes turned this love into a career—and now, a fundraiser rooted in gratitude, remembrance, and the dogs who change lives.
Hounds on the Hudson is a Capital Region-based photo contest and fundraising campaign benefiting Out of the Pits rescue. It’s part dog competition, part community photo book, and part love letter to rescue animals. The fundraiser invites dog owners to submit photos of their pets and rally friends and family to vote online for a chance to have their pup featured in a professionally photographed book celebrating local dogs.
But beneath the adorable photos and wagging tails is something much more personal.
Amy, who has lived in the Capital Region her entire life and is moving to Saratoga Springs soon, didn’t originally picture herself building a life around dogs. She once worked in politics—at the Governor’s Office for a time—before realizing she wanted something different.
So she left government work behind and started a dog-walking business.
Over the last 13 years, that evolved into daycare work, training, grooming, and, eventually, photography. During the pandemic, when her business struggled, she leaned harder into the creative work she had always loved.
“I jumped in and started taking dog photos,” she says.
It turned out to be more than a hobby.
Last year, Amy participated in Tails of the World, a global fundraising photography initiative out of Australia. Inspired by the idea of local photographers giving back to rescue organizations, she decided to create something more rooted in the Capital Region.
“I put some thought into it and came up with Hounds on the Hudson so I could make it very local,” she says.
Amy’s fundraiser supports Out of the Pits, a rescue organization that focuses largely on pit bull advocacy and adoption. Participants can enter any dog into the contest for $10 by submitting a photo online through the fundraiser page. Their friends and family can then vote for their favorites through donations.
The top dogs will receive a private, hour-long outdoor portrait session at an iconic Capital Region location for a discounted session fee, one image from each session featured on a full page in the coffee table book, one matching high-resolution digital file for the published image, and one copy of the book. The hour-long sessions cost $150, with $50 from each session going directly to Out of the Pits.
So far, 26 dogs have entered, helping raise more than $2,400. Amy hopes the fundraiser can get to $10,000 by the ending date of June 1.
And while the contest is technically open to any dog, rescue stories seem to sit at the emotional center of the project. That became clear the moment Amy started talking about Dexter.
Dexter was her first pit bull. He came from Out of the Pits, just like her current dog, Sadie. During our interview, Amy grew emotional speaking about him as she explained how much both dogs shaped her life.
“Out of the Pits gave me two of my biggest loves,” she says. “They’re the reason I do what I do, and my job is based on my love for my dogs and all dogs in general.”
In the book, there will even be a special “Rainbow Bridge” tribute section inspired by Dexter where owners can honor dogs who have passed away. Tribute entries cost $50.
“Out of the Pits and other rescues like them provide a service that’s priceless,” Amy says. “They volunteer their time and resources and energy to give homes to these dogs who bring so much joy and happiness.”
A close friend of mine has two rescue dogs from Out of the Pits. One was thrown as a puppy and now lives with nerve damage in his legs. The other was found abandoned on the side of the road during a trip through Kentucky. Today, both dogs are deeply loved, spoiled, and inseparable from their family and two other furry siblings.
As I spoke with Amy, it became obvious that this fundraiser is about so much more than winning a contest.
While rescue stories may begin with heartbreak, they never end there. And that’s why Hounds on the Hudson feels bigger than a fundraiser. Sure, there are prizes and professional photo shoots, online voting campaigns and beautiful dogs posing in Capital Region parks and fields. But underneath all of it is something much more meaningful: people giving back to the animals that gave something to them first.
—Danni