Adopt Me!: 13 Heartbreaking Shelter Animals (PHOTOS)

In 2009, Mark Ross began working in a kill shelter (that is, an animal shelter than euthanizes unclaimed pets). He started photographing the cats and dogs he came across in a manner that captured their personalities and emotions. The result was a collection of dramatic, flash-heavy images of playful and fearful pets, anthologized in "Animal Shelter Portraits" [Mark Batty Publisher, $16.95].

On a single spread, you'll find Rosey, a crusty-eyed Calico kitten, and Murphy, a healthy orange tabby wrestling with shredded paper. There's also Mama, a proud black cat who grooms herself between nursing sessions, and Dee Dee, a silky Dachshund.

In the introduction to the book, Ross writes:

Once seen on Facebook and shared by many animal lovers, the animals I had photographed flew off the shelf, so to speak. People fell in love with them and came through t save them, in any way they could. I can't express how gratifying it has been.

A percentage of the proceeds raised from the collection will benefit No Kill Advocacy Center. To find an animal shelter near you, visit Pet Finder or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

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