Portland high schooler helps humane society with puppy portraits

PORTLAND, CT (WFSB) - A high schooler working on her senior Capstone project came up with one special fundraiser.

She focused on the cuteness of dogs and how it could help the humane society.

At the Portland Riverfront Park, the dogs and their people who love them showed up one-by-one, each puppy posing a picture.

The brainchild of 17-year-old senior Kayla Deckelman for senior Capstone project.

“It’s a lot of work. It’s worth a full credit of school,” said Kayla.

Eyewitness News spoke with her a week or so before the photoshoot.

She talked about how and why she chose this project.

“It was going to be a fundraiser for the humane society, but I feel like I have to do more. People are just going to want to donate. As much as I love people, they want something in return,” Kayla said.

So she came up with a pets only photoshoot.

Folks paid a fee, some even donating above and beyond. All the proceeds are going directly to the Connecticut Humane Society.

“At first it was really stressful, it’s still stressful,” Kayla said. “I put a lot of effort into it. I still have a lot more to go. I think that I’m making a difference.”

With the help of professional Photographer Shari Ciarelgio, they pulled it off.

Not just the project but for Kayla, the much bigger purpose behind it.

“So, I didn’t want to do something that was just like you do it for yourself or you do it for your school, I wanted it to be reaching out to multiple people,” Kayla said.

A literal pet project for a high school senior taking her shot and making the grade.

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