Sadly, ending up in a shelter is often the beginning of a slow march toward death for a lot of dogs. Languishing in shelters for days, weeks, and months, some dogs end up passed over by prospective adopters for myriad reasons — too old, too aggressive, too big, too energetic, too young, too small, too ugly, too injured, too sick. For these dogs, the slam of the kennel door is a death knell, and a lot of them never make it out alive.

This served as inspiration for professional photographer LaNola Stone. The New York artist, author, and educator went to her local pound, seeking out the dogs “least likely to be adopted.” Some of the dogs the pound workers pulled for her to meet had been there for more than six months.

Photographing the dogs with all the dignity of human portraiture and utilizing a “fashionesque” style, Stone strove to capture the dogs’ sense of personality, youthfulness, and “edge.” With crisp clarity, her photos humanize the dogs within the frames, bringing a light to their eyes we can identify with.

Her efforts paid off. Not only are the images beautiful, but we are happy to report that all the dogs in these photos found forever homes.

Photos via Behance