
A photographer has captured the heartbreaking last moments owners share with their dying pets in a tender new photo series.

Kristin Zabawa, 60, a former zoo keeper turned photographer, visits terminally ill pets and completes the shoots as a final memory for the owners.

She will go to wherever the owner and pet feel most comfortable to do the shoots, usually their homes.

Kristin Zabawa visits the homes of pet owners to document their final moments with their pets. Pictured is a young girl with her terminally ill cat

She said the popularity of her 'SoulSessions' was growing. Here a woman is pictured with her dying cat

Shawn, a terminally ill dog is pictured as he rests on a sofa alongside his owner Lulu

She said: 'I walk through the doorway with a completely open mind and heart, and accept the moments that are offered.

'Some feel more comfortable with a little more suggestion, some just experience their loving moments with their animal and I disappear to them.

'Many people tell me that my SoulSessions as I called them are more than a photo shoot, it is a way for them to process grief over impending loss.'

She said although some people have difficulty with the idea of a SoulSession, their popularity is growing.

'When someone contacts me to book a shoot it means that they realise that their animal family will soon die.

'Some people say the idea of SoulSessions is very sad. However, I don't feel that is a criticism. Sadness and emotion is a way to work through grief.

'I present this as a way to celebrate the loving bonds. During a shoot there's laughter as well as tears.

'A perfect image is one which speaks to the person's heart. When someone tells me that their animal's personality and soul shines through the images, that is perfect.'

Pictured is dying pet dog Jocie and her owner Jan. Kristin Zabawa says the photo shoots are taken wherever her subjects feel most comfortable

Only a few months after the death of Jocie, Jan's poodle Marie (pictured) was diagnosed with cancer. Kristin Zabawa was called back to her home to take another series of photos

Kristin Zabawa said her shoot with Marie and Jan (pictured) was memorable because it was very non-verbal

Cat owner Deedee enjoys the final moments she has at home with her dying cat Mickey

She says the photoshoots are a way to celebrate the loving bonds between owners and their pets. Pictured is terminally ill cat Mickey

One shoot which has stayed with her was with a woman named Jan and her dogs, Jocie and Marie.

She said: 'They had all shared many years together and the bonds were very strong, but Jocie had been diagnosed with cancer.

'It was a lovely session - very non-verbal. Jan needed few words to just be with Jocie.

'Then earlier April, just four months after she and Marie had lost Jocie, Jan contacted me again, this time it was for Marie, who'd just been diagnosed with cancer.

'Marie was deaf and Jan communicated with her using signs. Jan had adopted a puppy, Blu, earlier in the year. As the older dog, Marie had been teaching Blu many dog lessons.

'Blu, being a puppy, was very playful during the session at first but as it progressed he became very quiet and just watched Marie.'

Dying pet dog Magoo lies the grass as he enjoys his final moments in the company of his owner

Magoo's owner Trish enjoys her dogs' company as she celebrates her bond with Magoo

The pictures are not exclusive to just cats and dogs - here a horse owner spends time with her dying pet

Dog owner Carol looks into the eyes of her dying pet Harry. The photographs are a way of helping owners come to terms with their pets' deaths