It often begins with a whispered, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had our own rescue?” At least, that’s how it began for us.

We were a handful of volunteers at a high-kill shelter. Like so many volunteers at so many shelters across the country, we rejoiced when dogs got adopted and were flattened when they were euthanized for no apparent reason. We knew there had to be a better way. But could we figure out what it was? One day, we decided it was worth a try, and took the plunge.

There are a lot of potential pet owners in the world, but some need a little inspiration to choose adoption. To give them a little nudge, photographer Amol Jadhav and art director Pranav Bhide teamed up to create a powerful campaign. They wanted to to spread awareness about adoption and promote a local Mumbai rescue group’s adoption event. Not only did they create beautiful works of art, their efforts were effective!

Bark has long admired Amy Sutherland’s commitment to animals, as well as her smart and engaging writing style. In her new book, Rescuing Penny Jane, both are on display as she tackles the issue of homeless—or, as she says, human-less—dogs, and gives readers an insider’s view of the many challenges shelters face and how they respond to them. Bark editor Claudia Kawczynska recently caught up with Sutherland for a quick one-on-one.