(WJAR) — A Foxborough photographer with a love for animals is giving a gift to people who have pets that are coming to an end of life.

Joan Powers has been taking pictures for as long as she can remember.

Several years ago she opened her own business: ‘Images Through the Eyes of Joan Powers Photography.’

“I’ve always had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember, and just you know, capturing friends and nature,” said Powers. “I love taking pictures. I love capturing the moment in time.”

For 22 years, Powers said she worked as a manager in the veterinary world.

A few years ago, before leaving her job, Powers said she had a conversation with her boss at the time about ‘The Tilly Project.’

That sparked her interest to get more information.

“It’s an end-of-life pet photography network,” said Powers. “So for animals that have had a bad diagnosis and are coming around to the end of their life journey or they are elderly, senior, pets.”

The non-profit connects pet owners with end-of-life pet photographers across the world and aims to provide accessible, educational, and supportive resources for photography, anticipatory grief, and pet loss/bereavement.

“You can sign up, you can volunteer to do it, you can make it a paid service if you’d like,” said Powers. “I personally volunteer for it, but you sign up and then the website just asks you to pick your country, pick your state, then pick your town and it’ll give you a list of photographers who are part of the Tilly Project.”

Powers volunteers her services to people in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts.

To date, she photographed about a dozen people and their pets.

This past weekend, she met with Bryan and Jennifer Piper, and their almost 11-year-old dog Grabriel.

The Pipers who live in Carver, Massachusetts now, and adopted Gabriel from East Providence.

“I’ve pretty much been next to that dog for the last 10 years that we’ve had him. Every time I come home he’s happy to see me, always excited,” said Bryan Piper. “He follows me around the house like my little shadow. If I go to bed he’s going to bed. He always has to make sure that he knows where I’m going, like, he always keeps an eye on me.”

A few months ago, ‘Gaby Baby’ as they call him, was having an issue with his eye being swollen.

The Pipers brought him to the vet to have a CT scan done, and they discovered a rare cancer which ultimately led to them removing the eye, and starting chemotherapy treatment.

Doctors gave Gabriel four months to live.

“Heartbreaking, but I mean what else can I say? Like, it is heartbreaking like you know he’s a member of the family” said Jennifer Piper. “They gave him four months, it’s been six, so fingers crossed.”

Through support services for Gabriel, the Pipers were partnered with the Tilly Project thanks to the ‘Live Like Roo’ Organization which offers financial assistance to families with pets who have received a cancer diagnosis.

The Pipers had expressed interest in a final photoshoot, and they looked up Powers’ on The Tilly Project.

“With the way that it is now. I don’t think we’d be able to come up with a photo shoot so the fact that she volunteers to do it is amazing. Amazing,” said Jennifer Piper. “Definitely hopeful for the memories now because there’s only we don’t know how much time we have. It’s overwhelming at some point because it’s something that we can hold onto it. It’s one of those things that just once the photos are there, it’s a memory that you can see every time you look at it and get that feeling.”

On Saturday, Powers met the couple at Boarderland State Park in North Easton.

There, she took tons of photos with Gabriel and the Pipers.

“Every dog is different and today when we did Gabe, he was full of energy and was able to run around,” said Powers. “I explain to people that they should feel their emotions. Don’t be afraid to cry, and don’t be afraid to have your emotions while you’re doing these shoots. I think they showed a lot of happiness in their shoot today.”

Powers not only takes the photos, but she edits them too.

Her clients are given five prints with the option to purchase additional, printed ones.

“I’ve been through this. I’ve had to euthanize my pet at the end of life. I’ve had dogs that have been senior dogs. It’s a really tough time and I like to bring pleasure through my portraits and so if I can help someone have a lasting memory capture a moment in time that’s what I like to do,” Powers said.