It’s all Sarah McLachlan’s fault.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for piano ballads, but the tear-jerking television commercials by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in the late-2000s hit me hard enough to start volunteering at my local animal shelter. But contrary to the images onscreen, what I found wasn’t the head hanging, emaciated canines too scared to look a stranger in the eye. What I found was tail wags, zoomies, and lessons in resilience.

Each of the once homeless dogs below is now resting in a warm, quiet home — and I like to imagine the recipient of endless tennis ball tosses and butt scratches.

All images shot and edited on iPhone, because the best camera is the one you have with you.

Apollo

Aubrey

Bernard

Bo

Brandy

Buddy Bo

Chicory

Darwin

Dioji

Dutch

Fiona

Floppy

Gemini

Gladys

Heely

Jackson

Jelena

Johnson

Lolah

Luigi

Luna

Malachi

Mason

Meatball

Meatball

Nobu

Ollie

Onyx

Peta

Phoebe

Polly

Quinn

Remmy

Ricky

Salazar

Sam

Shep

Stew

Sunny

Tulume

Twilight

Apollo

Apollo

Aubrey

Aubrey

Bernard

Bernard

Bo

Brandy

Brandy

Buddy Bo

Buddy Bo

Chicory

Chicory

Darwin

Darwin

Dioji

Dioji

Dutch

Dutch

Fiona

Fiona

Floppy

Floppy

Gemini

Gemini

Gladys

Gladys

Heely

Heely

Jackson

Jackson

Jelena

Jelena

Johnson

Johnson

Lolah

Lolah

Luigi

Luigi

Luna

Luna

Malachi

Malachi

Mason

Mason

Meatball

Meatball

Meatball

Meatball

Nobu

Nobu

Ollie

Ollie

Onyx

Onyx

Peta

Peta

Phoebe

Phoebe

Polly

Polly

Quinn

Quinn

Remmy

Remmy

Ricky

Ricky

Salazar

Salazar

Sam

Sam

Shep

Shep

Stew

Stew

Sunny

Sunny

Tulume

Tulume

Twilight

Twilight

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