Gone to the Dogs

I seem to be on a roll, having never painted animals before. Recently I was given an opportunity to leave my recent obsession with the bovine family and contribute to a dog rescue group by painting a member of the canine family.
Some members of the North York Visual Artists group were asked to paint pictures of rescued dogs onto canvas tote bags. This was under the direction of one of our members, a talented painter of animals - Soudabeh Majidi. The bags would later be offered for sale to support a volunteer rescue group.

Some of our NYVA members

Famous Dog Painter at Work

From the website of the Vafa Animal Shelter:

Founded in 2004, the Vafa Animal Shelter is the first animal shelter in Iran. We are dedicated to providing help and shelter to injured and homeless animals in Iran. The Vafa shelter is a non-government charity organization relying solely on private donations and volunteers. 

Hundreds of stray dogs live in the area. Since they are not altered, they constantly reproduce. Cars often hit dogs as they cross busy highways. Not all die immediately. Some linger in agonizing pain on the roadside for days until they finally perish. We are located in the town of Hashtgerd, about an hour and a half west of Tehran on the road to Ghazvin.

Pet overpopulation and animal cruelty aren’t just Iranian problems. They affect animals all over including affluent Western countries. Concerned and caring animal lovers around the world unite for a common cause - to end animal suffering and to make it a better world

"My Dog" called "Hope"

Hope lived with her puppies. Some of the puppies were shot by contractors and Hope was also. She survived, but surgery is not possible and she retains some bullets. She managed to return to the site to protect her puppies. Hope has been adopted by a family in the USA.

Darcy

Darcy is our  dog. He was a stray and rescued by "Speaking of Dogs" a rescue group. 


vafashelter.com

speakingofdogs.com

nyva.ca

smajidistudio.com

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