The project “Good Boys” started in December 2020 as an investigation on the process of re-birth induced by rescuing a dogs from a Shelter. In particular, it focuses on the period starting from 2019, the year in which the Covid-19 pandemic (and consequential lockdowns) started. Through a series of humorous and impassioned photographs representing life in and out of Dog Shelters, Good Boys depicts stories of courage and resistance both from the owners’ and the dogs’ perspectives.
According to Ansa: “During the pandemic and lockdown year, Enpa has found a new home in Italy to 8100 dogs and 9500 cats and 17.600 animals in total; it’s +15% compared to 2019. […] In some cities the percentage of rescued animals spiked from +20% to +40%” (Ansa, 2021).
Adoptions not only give a new life chance to rescued animals but also sensibly improve foster owners’ lives. As journalist Kate Finnigan argues: “a study from Universities of York and Lincoln published September 2020 has revealed that having a pet at home during lockdowns has contained and reduced psychological stress. In 90% of cases, interviewees affirmed that their pet has helped them emotionally overcome lockdowns; 96% of interviewees also affirmed that having a dog pushed them to keep fit and active” (Sole24Ore, 2021)
Good Boys starts from John Muir’s idea that: “Every look at the animal life is a stimulus for our own, and it enriches us in every possible way” and shows, through a magic-realism inspired reportage, how sometimes hope was found by gifting it to a dog.
