Homeless dogs pose in outlandish costumes in a bid to attract new owners

These charming canine portraits will make any dog lover's day - and they're helping to get sheltered pups adopted at the same time.

Photographer Tammy Swarek, from Arkansas, came up with the idea of dressing up rescue dogs to draw attention to their stories and help find new owners.

She drew inspiration from Facebook after spotting another portrait project for sheltered animals.

These charming canine portraits will make any dog lover's day - and they're helping to get sheltered pups adopted at the same time. Precious is a nine year old Collie/Elk Hound mix. She was surrendered to by her family because they could not take animals to their new location.

Photographer Tammy Swarek, from Arkansas, came up with the idea of dressing up rescue dogs to draw attention to their stories and help find new owners. Rubin and his siblings were abandoned in El Dorado, Arkansas and they are 10-weeks-old.

She drew inspiration from Facebook after spotting another portrait project for sheltered animals. Paxton is a Lab mix and is approximately 9-weeks-old.

So she contacted her local dog shelter, the Union County Animal Protection Society (UCAPS) and has worked closely with shelter manager Tanja Jackson ever since. Sammer Jammer, is a 5-months-old Australian Shepard Mix.

She said: 'One of the key things I wanted to showcase with dressing the dogs up is their personality'. McKenzie and another pup which we called Radar, her sister, were abandoned at a young age.

'I really wanted to make them look like people, and I want somebody to see that picture and have some type of a connection with the dog that they wouldn't ordinarily if it was shut in a cage'.

So she contacted her local dog shelter, the Union County Animal Protection Society (UCAPS) and has worked closely with shelter manager Tanja Jackson ever since.

Incredibly, Tammy now creates professional head shots for every pup at UCAPS.

She said: 'One of the key things I wanted to showcase with dressing the dogs up is their personality.

'I really wanted to make them look like people, and I want somebody to see that picture and have some type of a connection with the dog that they wouldn't ordinarily if it was shut in a cage.'

The photographer said more people had shown an interest in adopting the dogs after seeing the images.

'They get to see the animal in a different light and some of the dogs that wouldn't have any interest at all have had a dozen applications each.'