Prepare to have your heart strings pulled by this intimate look into the lives of shelter animals and the volunteers who care for them. 

Finding Shelter began as photography project focused on animal shelter volunteers and the abandoned animals they care for throughout California. The portraits, depicting every type of pet from fluffy farm sheep to cuddly pit bulls, are meant to honor the men and women who volunteer their time as well as help find forever homes for the pets featured. Now, the photographer behind the project, Jesse Freidin, is hoping to turn the exhibition into a book, and head across the United States to document animal shelters in every state. 

The Finding Shelter book, which just launched on Kickstarter Tuesday, is a bit different from your everyday pet photography project. Freidin plans to visit shelters all across the country, photographing shelter volunteers and the animals they love in a documentation of the mutual healing that takes place in these rescue organizations.