Q. How did you decide to focus on photo-documenting strays?
A. In 2010, three months into my first visit to India, I was in Jaisalmer. I had already seen many injured dogs in other cities, but one morning, I spotted a dog in a market by the fort that was in terrible shape. I had to do something so I took it in a taxi, and we travelled 500km to reach an NGO, Tree of Life for Animals (TOLFA) in Pushkar. Since then, I have helped rescue dogs across Indian cities, and have photo-documented the issue to help raise awareness and encourage compassionate treatment.

A frame by Brett Cole from Leh, Ladakh, India, where a street dog rests under graffiti telling people not to gossip