A tabby cat named Thomasina, nicknamed Sina for short, graces the January page of the inaugural Pinups and Pets—a locally produced 12-month calendar to benefit the Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation. Like all of the featured animals in the calendar, Sina is accompanied by a pinup model and appears in a glamour-shoot-friendly setting.
Each month’s photo also includes an info blurb to describe the featured animal’s story. Sina, for example, was hit by a car at less than a year old and rushed into surgery after doctors at the Santa Maria Animal Shelter agreed one of her back legs had to be amputated. Thanks to funding from SBC Animal Care, Sina was able to get treated speedily and receive the pain medication and antibiotics needed to make a full recovery.
Within a day of her surgery, Sina’s journey to regain her balance began. She was adopted shortly thereafter and has “been treated like a princess ever since,” the blurb reads. Now at age 14, Sina is finally making her glamour-shoot debut.
Natalie Stevens, a longtime volunteer at the Santa Maria Animal Shelter, conceived the calendar and enlisted help from The Luscious Ladies—a Santa Barbara-based group of pinup models dedicated to raising funds for charities, nonprofits, and small businesses—and photographer Angelina McDonald to make her concept a reality.
“The process was definitely challenging, as I have never taken on a project like this before,” Stevens told the Sun. “This project was truly a community effort that wouldn’t have been possible without all the amazing people that helped a simple idea become something real.”
For Stevens, one of the most rewarding aspects of creating the calendar was getting to meet each animal and hear their stories, which were often harrowing but with happy endings.
“I got to see these happy, affectionate animals that have overcome some truly awful circumstances,” she said. “Despite what they all went through or had happened to them, they were so full of life and love.
“The story that stuck out to me most was of Koa,” she added.
The featured animal for June, Koa is a mixed breed dog that was found abandoned and severely injured in Lompoc last year. After pain medication was administered, an examination revealed a rubber band embedded into her lacerated nose, and extensive damage on her tail due to poor tail docking. Medical funds to care for her injuries were provided by SBC Animal Care. Koa has since been adopted and is described as playful and affectionate to everyone she meets.
“I’ll never understand how people can abuse animals and leave them to die,” Stevens said. “But despite all she went through, she was a huge love bug and an absolute joy to shoot with.”
Koa’s story was one that also immediately stood out to Linda Greco, co-founder of SBC Animal Care.
“People in our community do not realize some of the abuse, neglect, and tragedy that happens here locally. The thought of it angers me,” Greco told the Sun. “Yet, I am grateful these little souls make their way to the shelter so they can receive help and know love. I am proud we can initiate change in their lives.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood loves cats and dogs equally. Reach him at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2020.