I've moved this blog, permanently. The new address is robshook.tumblr.com

Bike Couriers Bike Shop | Louisville, KY

Billy Werntz stands in the back room of Bike Couriers Bike Shop. The store doesn't use gas to make deliveries - the owner has a trailer for his bike and has used it to deliver up to 12 boxed bicycles at a time. The shop also keeps Louisville on the map as one of the few smaller cities with bike couriers.

Pete's Tree Farm

12/15/2010 - Brad Schneider and Justin McGuire are employees of Pete's Tree Farm in Rochester, New York.

Brad moves a tree from the bailer, which wraps them in twine, to a machine that drills a hole in the trunk that allows them to work with a special tree stand.

Brad laughs as he grabs the top of a "Charlie Brown" tree that is too small to fit in the drilling machine properly. Although "Charlie Browns" are the smallest, scrawniest trees on the lot, at prices under $5 they are one of the best sellers.

Corinne Scott

10/11/2010 - Corinne Scott gets advice from her teacher during acting lessons. Corinne left voice school and is now pursuing a career in theater.

Maria Sikic, Casey Staff, Janet Zimmerman and I did a multimedia project with Corinne last quarter for Will Yurman of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Jay's Diner

11/8/2010 2:45am - William Burns takes a cigarette break outside of Jay's. William works as a waiter during the overnight shift five days a week.

2:55am - William brings dishes out to a group of college students from Monroe Community College. "This is one of our busiest shifts. Being near three schools means we get a lot of business from the post-party drunk crowd."

Sherry Wolf

10/15/2010 - Sherry Wolf takes “City Newspaper” to task for its front page article “Labor’s Love Lost,” which she says falsely represents the American working class as the base of the new political right wing.

Click on image for full story (Rochester Institute of Technology Reporter Magazine)

Euthanasia

The project I am working on with Animal Services is centered around the euthanasia of healthy animals, and why city pounds are forced into this awful position.

This is Scooter.



Scooter was turned over to Rochester Animal Services because his owners couldn't handle it when he peed in the house. Thousands of animals like Scooter go through Animal Services every year, but because of severe space issues and a lack of interest in adoption, many will never leave.

Rochester Animal Services

I finally started working on my Animal Services project. I'm going out with Animal Control officers on their duties in Rochester and documenting what they do using still photography and audio. One part of the job is vaccinating and impounding animals that come in.



An unnamed dog reacts to his unfamiliar surroundings after being brought in by Animal Control.

"Gucci," an abandoned puppy brought in by officer Denise Lybrand, about to receive an oral vaccine. Healthy incoming animals are held in case someone comes to claim them, but most go unclaimed. Identified animals are held for ten days; unidentified animals are held for five.

Space and financial constraints mean that most of the animals that aren't claimed are euthanized. The shelter has a policy against adopting out Pit Bulls, and these make up the vast majority of dogs that come in. These and any dogs that don't pass the test to be adoptable are euthanized, and even some that go up for adoption are ultimately euthanized because of a lack of interest.