It’s hard to find a home if nobody knows you exist. The people at the Chilton County Humane Society are making sure that as many people as possible know about their animals.

The humane society is enlisting professional photographers to photograph each animal and post it on an online slideshow to be viewed by potential owners.

“It gives each animal a personality, and you’re really going to get to see their personalities in these photos,” Director Paula Jo Mattingly said. “We will do this for all our animals.”

Photographer Skip Baumhower came to the shelter Monday for a test run, and five animals were adopted as a result. That is just an indication of the slideshow’s potential, Baumhower said.

“We’re trying to make Alabama an example to other states of how to better represent pets and aid their adoptions,” he said.

Baumhower was back yesterday to kick off the project. He was recommended by the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

By getting local businesses to put the link to the slideshow on their company Web sites, the humane society hopes to bring more exposure to each animal, thereby increasing the likelihood that someone will want to adopt.

“The Internet is one of the greatest tools they have to use,” Baumhower said.

The shelter has already received confirmations from a couple of businesses, Mattingly added.

A local photographer, Alisa Lynn, has agreed to assist the humane society with the project in the future.

For more information, contact the shelter at 755-9170. To view the slideshow, visit homepage.mac.com/skipbaumhower/dontforgetus/.