Like Whisper, Wilbur drank well water contaminated with PFAS on Stewart's property. In 2018, Stewart had to euthanize a pig named Wilbur after he developed a massive testicular tumor. She was concerned that animals, as well as people, were exposed and raised that alarm to state regulators, Cumberland County commissioners and staff with Chemours, which now operates the factory. In 2017, Stewart started attending local forums about PFAS polluting the Cape Fear River area. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has stated the plant may have started releasing PFAS into the environment as early as the 1980s. Gray's Creek sits a few miles north of the Fayetteville Works Facility. "She was completely fine before I brought her down to this area," said Stewart in an interview at her home, "My vet said she had environmental allergies-but her cough is year round." Six months after Whisper arrived in Gray's Creek, Stewart noticed the horse had developed a cough. Horses with it are often described as being "wind-broke." Whisper's condition is most similar to asthma in humans. But in a recent study prompted by concerned community members, North Carolina State University researchers detected the industrial compounds in dogs and horses, including Whisper, in Gray's Creek. That was the same year news broke that a factory near her Gray's Creek neighborhood for decades had released a family of industrial chemicals known as PFAS that polluted river water and drinking wells.Įxperts can't confirm that Whisper's cough is tied to PFAS exposure on Stewart's property. After arriving, the horse developed heaves-a common, allergic, respiratory horse disease characterized by chronic cough, nasal discharge and respiratory difficulty. Whisper had moved to Debra's property a few miles south of Fayetteville from another county in 2017. "C'mon, c'mon," Stewart said, gently encouraging Whisper to step free of mud as she crunched on carrots in between coughs. But Whisper's thick, forced cough made the most pronounced sound. Get ready….Flies shrilled as they bounced off Whisper's body and her hooves plopped in ground softened by an overnight rain. We’re going to take your hand and lead the way. You should know you’ll be 100% taken care of during every step… my team (who are the most amazing, caring, positive people you’ll ever meet) and I are masters of attention to detail and even if this whole idea is a bit fuzzy to you, like how do we do this or I’m not sure what I really want… don’t worry. In my professional circles, I’ve never heard of anyone approaching pet photography and pet portraits like I do. My team and I have a unique process I’ve created to bring out the best in everyone and have a truly special experience both pets and people enjoy. And that love, that bond, that special something (and all pets have it!) deserves to be celebrated in timeless, treasured portraits. Perhaps we have a different definition of “family” than you might find elsewhere. We are masters at posing and photographing people and pets… we work with every kind of person, every type of family, and every kind of pet from dogs to cats, to horses, to any other furry or feathery pet. It’s one thing to take great photos of people and it’s one thing to take great photos of pets, but bringing the two together… well let me tell you…that’s a specialty in and of itself!Īnd that’s the cool thing about hiring me and my team. What I do is a little different because I specialize in capturing the best in both people and pets! I’m an award-winning, internationally published, full-time professional pet photographer focused on photographing pets (dogs, cats, horses, and more) and people throughout the Dallas and Fort Worth areas in Texas.
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