I started taking photos of shelter animals in April of 2013. At that point I had been laid off from my programming job for over a year and was looking for something to fill a void in my life. While my wonderful husband and pets do so much to keep me happy...I just felt I needed to be doing something more. Now...I'm not sure what I would do without my exposure to the shelter animals.

When I sit down to process the photos, a smile literally crosses my face and sometimes I'm so emotional, I even tear up a little. I'm happy to make these beautiful creatures shine, but at the same time I hate they are where they are.

One of the things I love to be able to capture is the unconditional love of the animals...the love between the dog or cat and the people that love them back. The shelter employees, the volunteers, the potential adopters. I have collected some of the moments I have been able to capture and presented them below.

Thank you to the ones who work tirelessly to heal, find homes and love the shelter animals. You are appreciated more than you can imagine.