I was warned before my visit to Alchemy Acres in Salem, Ohio that I would have a lot of kittens to photograph. They were not kidding! Over 20 little kittens had the chance to get in front of my camera. For the most part, these little guys and girls were perfect models. There were a few that had no interest in looking at me. They would have rather jumped off of the table to play, instead. Of course, we had a few puppies and dogs as well to photograph.

The stories of how most of these animals end up at Alchemy makes me sad. There were three dogs that were brought in when I was wrapping up that came from puppy mills. One of the three was just shaking, so scared and unsure of everything around her. She probably had more human interaction in the 24 hours between the puppy mill and arriving at the rescue than she had her entire life. Then there were some kittens that were waiting at the front door one morning inside of   a Styrofoam cooler. Luckily, holes had been punched in the lid of the cooler before they were dropped off.

Then there was another dog I photographed who was about one year old. He was so sweet and lovely. His previous pet parents had found out that he had a heart condition and it was too expensive for them to keep him. My dogs are my money pits in life, but I know I would personally go without non-necessities to get them any ongoing medical care that they needed. Hopefully this pup will find amazing pet parents that will be ok with spending that additional money for his medical needs.

There are so many animals at Alchemy, both dogs and cats that are looking for their forever homes. If you or someone you know is looking for a four-legged friend to the family, be sure to take a look at the pets below.