You’ve seen the heartwrenching commercials on television, the pitiful gaze of an unwanted dog or cat casting a pained expression into the camera through the stark metal bars of a cage as if to say, “Please rescue me from my fate.”

Although the pleading eyes of a wounded animal can incite sympathy, the perceived physical and behavioral challenges of these former pets can cause some to shy away from adopting them out of fear that they will never adapt to living in another home, permanently scarred by their traumatic experiences.

Locally, the New Rochelle Humane Society hopes to change those stereotypes by portraying shelter animals for what they are; loving and playful companions, many of them former pets with unique personalities, with a series of photographs by Mamaroneck resident Klara Hanincova, PhD entitled “Shelter Dogs.” The photos are currently on display in the Mamaroneck Public Library’s gallery space through Jan. 17.

“For this particular project, the idea was to photograph the animals outside, out of the shelter environment,” said Director of Development Toni Calabrese Boelsen in an e-mail.

“However, we believe that although the exhibit concentrates only on the shelter dogs, it will bring awareness to all shelter animals,” she said.

Hanincova, a photographer who has worked with many non-profit organizations including Indego Africa, WET Productions and The Parents Assistance Committee on Down Syndrome, adopted her first dog from the New Rochelle Humane Society in 2008 and was inspired to continue giving back to the shelter.  

With over four million dogs and cats being housed in animal shelters nationwide in 1997 (the last year that data was available) according to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), and with as many as 60 to 70 percent of these animals being euthanized each year according to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), it’s clear that there are many more animals than people willing or able to give them good homes.

The New Rochelle Humane Society is a private, not-for-profit organization serving 17 communities in Westchester, which rarely euthanizes any animals, unlike many other shelters. 

“We never put down for space,” said Boelson, adding that one exception would be if a dog was aggressive toward people and, therefore, not adoptable.

The organization rescues over 500 dogs and 900 cats each year according to their website, and receives 50 percent of their funding from donations, with the other 50 percent originating from services provided for animal control. Currently, the shelter has 155 cats and dogs with a few rabbits, gerbils and birds as well.

Of the eight animals depicted in the photographs, only one has yet to be adopted; Bella, a yellow lab retriever.

Visitors to the exhibit can read a short blurb describing each dog’s hard luck story and how they arrived at the shelter. Similarities crop up in the tales of abandonment, with several of the dogs simply left to forge for themselves on the streets by former owners. In another case, a dog’s owner was forced to take a second job and no longer could care for her properly.

Although the organization did not take in more dogs than last year, said Boelson, more dogs arrived in need of medical or grooming care than in years past.

“Dogs that were badly matted and/or not spayed or vaccinated were turned into the shelter or abandoned in Westchester,” she said.

For more information on animals waiting for adoption, please visit the New Rochelle Humane Society’s website here or call (914) 632-2925.  The “Shelter Dogs” exhibit can be viewed on the ground level of the Mamaroneck Public Library located at 136 Prospect Ave. in the Village of Mamaroneck.