• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Westway Studio | San Diego’s most adventurous & colorful pet portraits and commercial brand photography

Commercial brand pet photography and rustic-luxury family pet portraits with one-of-a-kind experiences

  • Howdy
  • Blog
  • Family Pet Photography
    • Portfolio
    • Session Details & Rates
    • High Regards
  • Commercial Pet Photography
    • Project Portfolio
    • Photo + Video Dream Team
    • Your Brand Story
    • Commercial Rates
    • Top Mistakes to Avoid
  • Education for Photographers
  • Contact

September 28, 2016 by Terran Leave a Comment

The FOUND Project // Helen Woodward’s Sally the Rosy Boa

You may remember from Bixby’s story, but in case you don’t, here’s a quick recap… FOUND is my personal project featuring inspirational stories about shelter and rescue animals who came from extraordinary circumstances and are now leading extraordinary lives. For this story, I’m going to introduce you to Helen Woodward Animal Center’s rosy boa snake, Sally, who is now an ambassador for the non-fluffies.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

Imagine you were happily living with your family and found out Grandma was going to move in. The catch is that Grandma doesn’t like you and says she won’t come in the house unless you’re long gone. So, you have to leave. Well, that’s exactly what happened to Sally, a stunningly beautiful rosy boa snake.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

Thankfully, though, her family did the responsible thing and found another safe place for her: Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The wonderful people at the Center immediately saw Sally’s charm and had an opening in the Pet Encounter Therapy program. Every week Sally got to meet children and adults during summer camp, school programs, and more to teach them how to care for animals like her. Sally also taught people the importance of proper animal care and respect for all animals.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

About five years after joining the program, a staff member noticed something wasn’t quite right with Sally. She was developing a bump a few inches back from her head. Sally was taken in to see one of the talented veterinarians at Helen Woodward and they determined it was cancer. The mass was growing around Sally’s heart. There was no other choice: Sally needed open-heart surgery. Yes, open-heart surgery on a snake! Can you imagine the precision and skill needed for that? Thankfully, Sally pulled through and recovered without any lasting issues.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

After her open-heart surgery, Sally went back to being a snake and enjoying her work as a PET ambassador… but more bumps began to form. This time, she had multiple ones forming in her abdomen. Once again, there was no other choice: Sally needed surgery. She was taken in and all the masses that could be removed were taken out. She made it through and recovered nicely.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

Sally is now happy and healthy, working once again in the PET program. Along with the other animals, she is hard at work teaching children about compassion toward all animals, not just the fluffy ones. She tells them her story of adversity and overcoming immeasurable odds; she teaches them about second chances. Sally embraces her bumps and teaches children it is okay to stand out and be different.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

The three girls I photographed with Sally are long-time campers at the Center’s Critter Camp and the next generation of animal advocates. The youngest happily told me all about Sally and mentioned she was her favorite animal there. All the girls handled Sally gently and carefully, following the instructions the camp counselors had taught them over the years. They treated Sally with patience and reverence — all without fear — and it brought me such joy to see.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

Sally’s is a story that deserves to be told. It needs to be told. All animals deserve a chance at a happy life. Just look at Sally — really look at her — she’s not scary; she’s a living, breathing, gorgeous being. Her history teaches us of perseverance, second chances, and regard for all life. She — and every snake — deserves our compassion and respect.

Westway Studio - The Found Project - Sally the Rosy Boa

For more info, check out Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Pet Encounter Therapy program & Education programs (including Critter Camp!).

Want more FOUND stories? Here are all the current ones on the blog.

Do you know an animal who would be great for The FOUND Project? I’m looking specifically for rescue and shelter animals (breed and type not important) who are now doing something incredible with their second chances… education for kids, law enforcement, hospital therapy animals, animals who inspired their people to do something hugely meaningful, and so on! If you have an animal like this or know of one, get in touch!

Filed Under: all pet portraits, doing good, the found project

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home » The FOUND Project // Helen Woodward’s Sally the Rosy Boa

Follow our wild, wild Westway adventures as we travel the U.S. in our Airstream

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Footer

Contact

Based in San Diego, CA
Traveling the U.S. in 2022
(858) 848-9378
Email Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
There was a small delay with the arrival of our Ai There was a small delay with the arrival of our Airstream but we get to pick her up TODAY! We are so excited to finally begin this new adventure!​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Are you following along in our Instagram stories?
How stinkin' adorable is this??? Sweet Riesling ab How stinkin' adorable is this??? Sweet Riesling absolutely LOVED being in the photos with her mom and dad! This photo is one of six that make up a collage of rustic barnwood-framed canvases above their fireplace!
I always love seeing my photos on my clients' webs I always love seeing my photos on my clients' websites! Spotting Arlo's photo on West Paw's was no exception! ➡️ Swipe to see!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#westwaypets #sandiegophotography #sandiegophotographer #sandiegopetphotographer #sandiegopetphotography #sandiegodogphotographer #sandiegodogphotography #commercialpetphotography #commercialpetphotographer #commercialdogphotographer #commercialdogphotography
I love the little moments like this one, which was I love the little moments like this one, which was captured during our session with Willow this past autumn. It was just a few short months before she crossed the rainbow bridge. I think of her often and wanted to share one of my favorite photos of her with her mom. ❤️ Willow was such a sweet & happy pup who loved her people so, so much.
As we plan our big journey, the question I get ove As we plan our big journey, the question I get over and over is about exact timing of our stops. My go to answer is "I don't know yet but I suspect it'll be sometime around..." ​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Here's the thing: with a few minor exceptions, we aren't on a set schedule. If we find someplace we'd like to explore for an extra day or two, we will. If we get in somewhere and think, "this really isn't for us," there's nothing keeping us there. When things go wrong, we will do our best to roll with it and remember that nothing ever goes exactly to plan.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
This is a whole new mindset to get used to but we're excited to give it a try! Do you think you could travel this way?
Here's a little Sunshine to brighten your day! ☀ Here's a little Sunshine to brighten your day! ☀️
When Riesling's mom contacted me for a session, sh When Riesling's mom contacted me for a session, she said she really, really, really wanted a silhouette shot. I think we absolutely nailed it with this one! Riesling is a little kangaroo and was having an absolute BLAST running and jumping as we wrapped up our afternoon together!
Do you ever have those moments where everything ju Do you ever have those moments where everything just feels like it is perfectly in place? I know they're rare but they DO happen — and this was one of them. As we wrapped up a very big day of adventure in the Eastern Sierras, Roxy lay down in the cold, sparkling snow just as the last rays of sunshine kissed the mountain peaks goodnight. My heart felt so full and I'm so grateful I had my camera ready to capture this moment + feeling for all time. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I have a hard time putting my own personal memories out into the world sometimes (hello, guarded introvert here!) but for Earth Day, I couldn't think of a piece of work more perfect for me to share than this one.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We love getting out in nature, hiking, exploring, and adventuring. We are grateful for this incredible place we call home and are so excited to see more breathtaking landscapes on our upcoming six-month road trip (which begins in just two weeks)!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Happy Earth Day, everyone! Let's celebrate this beautiful planet we share!
For the past few years, Greg and I have been dream For the past few years, Greg and I have been dreaming a very, very big dream — but it always felt like it was light years away from ever being possible.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
As the pandemic turned the world on its head, though, we realized life was too short to spend just dreaming. We knew it was time to make a giant leap of faith and live our dream of exploring this beautiful country we call home. ​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
And now, in just a few short weeks, Greg, Roxy, and I are setting off to travel the US for the next six months in our Airstream and photograph dogs all along the way!​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
We will be starting in Tampa, FL in mid-May and working our way up to the northeast for summer. Eventually, we will head back to San Diego for winter. There's no set schedule; no hard timeline. We are going to see where the road takes us!​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
I will be posting lots of photos here on the Westway Studio Instagram & Facebook along with monthly blog posts on my website. If you want to sign up for our monthly email newsletter so you never miss a blog post, just go to westwaypets.com and scroll down to the bottom where you can sign up in the green box.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Shameless plug: if you are on our basic route (FL > NY, VT, NH, MA, ME > San Diego (exact route home undecided)) and are interested in a portrait session, commercial project, or private mentoring, reach out! :) If you're in San Diego and would like to get on my 2023 waiting list, reach out, too!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • Why Brands Should Consider a Pit Bull for Commercial Shoots
  • Photography for a Cause
  • Finding the Perfect Dog Models for a commercial photo shoot
  • What Your Photo Shoot Location Says About Your Pet Brand
  • When Things Go Wrong: Issues with hiring people photographers instead of pet photographers

All images and written content on this site are Copyright © 2010-2022 Westway Studio.
Nothing on this site may be copied, screenshot, downloaded, or used without the written permission of Westway Studio.

  • Howdy
  • Blog
  • Family Pet Photography
  • Commercial Pet Photography
  • For Photographers
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
GIT ALONG LI'L DOGGIES
Follow my adventures with dogs, travel, and ranch life in the Wild, Wild Westway