In the fall of 2009, I discovered the fun of painting dogs. I had been looking for a way to incorporate my career into a new venture that would allow me to give back at the same time. I had never really painted a dog until we met a Golden Retriever named Lucy.
Considering a new dog, we shied away from rescue, fearing we would choose an untrainable dog. Hoping to enlighten us, a friend of ours named Gwen encouraged us to come and meet her rescued therapy dog, Lucy.
Lucy, the rescued therapy dog who inspired me
She and Lucy were volunteering that Saturday with the R.E.A.D program at the library. Lucy was a kind, beautiful Golden and we were impressed with the way she interacted with children. I took some pictures of her and I realized later how perfect one of the shots would be for a portrait. I got to work creating the portrait and found myself enjoying the whole process.
Realizing the fun I had, my wife suggested I look for another dog to paint. We wanted to find another rescue dog that was a therapy dog, as well. In no time, we found McDuff, a Westie, and had a great time meeting him and his owners. I was hooked. We began receiving other replies to our “search” and started to realize there was no shortage of “rescue to therapy dogs “.
During our search for rescue to therapy dogs to paint, we became aware of the really tough times shelters and rescue groups were having due to the recession. We decided to start looking for a way to help. That was the beginning of the Rescue Dog to Therapy Dog Calendar. We looked for and found 12 wonderful dogs and owners to be the subjects of our 2012 calendar. The rest, as they say, is history.
Learn More about our 2012 Rescue Dog to Therapy Dog Calendar.
