A dog’s last moments photographed

Tou calms a puppy before taking a picture.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Tou calms an excited dog.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Tou snaps a puppy. He has been visiting dog shelters for two years, making human-like portraits that give a sense of dignity and esteem to about 400 canines. This year Taiwanese authorities will kill an estimated 80,000 stray dogs at 38 pounds throughout the island.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Tou Chih-kang hangs his portraits for a exhibition in Taoyuan.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Tou identifies dogs on a manifest that are to be put down later that day at a government-run shelter in Taoyuan.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

A dog at the shelter  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

A dog is taken to be euthanized by lethal injection.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

The leashes of dogs put down that day hang from a metal fence at the shelter.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

A nurse prepares the room used to euthanize dogs.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

A dog sits in a cage before he is put down.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Government workers catch a dog on the streets of Taoyuan.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)