Pop Art Pet Unleashed

We found this in the “L.A. Unleashed” section of the Los Angeles Times. It seems both the House and Senate versions of the “Defense Authorization Bill” contain provisions providing for the government to pay the cost of relocating two pets when a military family is ordered to leave an overseas duty station.

Cats and dogs are certain to be covered, according to the Marine Corps Times. It’s unclear whether birds, fish, reptiles and horses will be eligible.

President Bush, a dog lover, wants the bill on his desk by Oct. 1.

We’ve been especially busy this summer with even more multiple pet projects than usual! Almost everybody has wanted at least two pets in their portraits, like adorable Airedales Chief & Raya,

And this retro cat portrait of Reggie & Zeke

In addition there were Hachiko & Zoey, Ilka & Tovarish, and you already saw Boomer & Bonnie, just to name a few.

And recently we’ve moved beyond the dynamic duos to some terrific trios. Like these three traditional designs of Sophia, Willie, and Bambino.

Plus check out the Pop Art portraits of sisters, Katie, Shula, and Trina.

So we’ve had an action packed summer so far and love that so many happy households have so many multiple happy pets!

Looking for details about the earthquake in California we found this interesting article in the Desert Sun out of Palm Springs speculating that even though scientists and seismologists can’t predict an earthquake, perhaps animals can. It also provides important tips for the safety of you and your pet in the event of an earthquake.:

Scientists say there’s no way to predict earthquakes like meteorologists forecast the weather, but our furry, four-legged friends may be one step ahead of us.

Shelley Hettig, registered veterinary technician at Desert Dunes Animal Hospital said she firmly believes animals have a ‘sixth sense’ when it comes to predicting earthquakes.

“They’re on the ground in bare feet and they can feel these things. Their senses are so much more alive than ours,” Hettig said Thursday.

Others said their pets were scared by the quake.

“I have a yellow-headed Amazon and when there’s an earthquake he flutters down to the bottom of his cage and acts like he’s being attacked, but he doesn’t know by what,” said Cindy Scott, a vet tech at Animal Emergency Clinic of the Desert.

What are some tips to keep your pets safe in case of an earthquake?

-Make sure there is a supply of canned/dry pet food and bottled water with other emergency supplies including pet prescription and medicine.

-If roads are blocked because of a natural disaster, professional help may not be immediately available so familiarize yourself and other family members with pet CPR, resuscitation and general first aid procedures. Your quick action can save your pet’s life.

-Try not to display stress or anxiety when dealing with pets. Most animals are very aware of their owner’s emotions and can read your stress. This can cause otherwise calm pets to display aggressive behavior.

-After a fire or disaster, check pet structures and favorite hiding places for hazardous debris.

-Ask your local fire department, animal shelter, or veterinarian for a “Pet Alert” sign for doors and windows. In non are available, make your own by listing your pets on a 3 by 5 card and display it prominently. This alerts emergency teams there may be pets that need assistance.

-Dogs and cats should wear I.D. tags with current address and/or phone numbers at all times. This will make it easier for you and your pet to be reunited if separated.

-Keep up-to-date on your pet’s vaccinations. Pets may become disoriented and stray, or housed in shelters with other animals herby potentially becoming exposed to infectious diseases.

-Alert local shelters if your pet is missing.

We are having a seriously hot summer around here so we paid special attention to this list of “Sun Safety Tips for Dogs” in The Honest Kitchen’s newsletter. Apparently it’s from “The Dog Bible, Everything your Dog Wants You To Know” , by Tracie Hotchner:

1. Keep at-risk dogs* completely out of the sun form 10am to 2pm.
2. Put a T-shirt on the dog when outdoors.
3. Provide shade outside over the dog’s area.
4. For indoor sunbathers, pull drapes or block of sunny rooms from 10am to 2pm.
5. Spray children’s sunblock with an SPF of 15 or higher on sensitive areas.

*According to The Dog Bible, some of the breeds most sensitive to sun exposure include:
Australian Shepherd, Beagles, Bulldogs, Chinese Crested, Collies, Dalmatians, Great Danes, Greyhounds (including IG’s), and Whippets.

Tracie lists the following stages and complications of ultrviolet damage:
Reddened skin in thin areas such as the scrotum, belly, inner thigh and nose
Faded skin color
Hair loss
Thick, red scaly blotches
Rough patches
Appearance of “blackheads”
Secondary infection
Blisters with fluid
Formation of scabs
Lesions or depression beneath scabs
Nodules, skin tumors and plaques associated with cancer

Pets in very sunny states such as the southwestern USA are at highest risk of sunburn, as well as those who spend lots of time in the snow, because of reflection of the sun’s ultrviolet rays.
Noses are espcially prone to getting burned and require extra protection when out and about in the sun.
Did you know that dogs are thirty five times more likely than people, to get skin cancer? Please take precautions from harmful rays.

It has been awhile since we have added any custom pet art to our “Kylie Collection,” but we are thrilled with the new addition by Polymer Paws!

The artist, Paula, creates her little sculptures from photos so we just pointed her to Kylie’s photo stream online and she did an awesome job! They are almost as cute as the real thing!

Paula is an illustrator living near the ocean in Charleston, she enjoys dabbling in felting, origami, & oil painting….. but says polymer clay is her love! She also donates 10% of her sales on Etsy to the Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue, and we love that about her! She offers several popular breeds of dogs, and of course the custom sculptures as well. Check out her shop!

“We Can’t Stay Together for the Dogs,” by author Jennifer Keene, professional dog trainer, was written to help divorcing dog-lovers handle the custody arrangement for their fur kids in a healthy manner.

She also provides helpful information on her website, jenniferkeene.com:

Almost half of the vast number of divorces each year involve dogs, who are more than just “animals” these days. Couples are struggling to do what is right for their beloved dogs, while making one of life’s most difficult decisions. We Can’t Stay Together for the Dogs answers their plight by leading them in choosing dog-friendly solutions and compromises. By integrating training tips and success stories into the text, this self-help guide shows that a dog-friendly divorce or break-up is not only possible, it is the only way to treat our best friends. As the first book on the subject of dogs and divorce or dogs and break-ups it features simple step-by-step directions, and offers a dog-centric point of view that men and women alike will appreciate.

For the long holiday weekend we made a trip to the mountains with a house full of friends to stay at a B&B on Angel Ridge Ranch. We all had a nice time, especially Kylie who had her first face-to-face with a goat!

The ranch is also home to Challenging Spirits Equine Rescue. The owner Denise takes in homeless horses from all over the world and cares for them with the help of volunteers until they find a home. She also rescues horses that are bred for Premarin, a very popular drug used to treat menopausal symptoms in women. Because Premarin is made with estrogen extracted from pregnant mare’s urine (PMU), thousands of mares are used to produce this bitter pill, contributing to the unnecessary overbreeding of horses.

For approximately six months from fall through spring, the pregnant mares live in the “pee barns” forced to stand in stalls with urine collection devices strapped to them. The stalls are deliberately narrow to prevent pregnant mares from turning around and detaching the collection cups. In the last month of their 11th month pregnancy,the mares are put out to pasture to have their foals. The mares are put in a herd with a stallion so they quickly become pregnant again. In the fall their foals are quickly taken away from them to be sold, whether or not they are fully weaned. The next month they are back in the barns, and the cycle starts again.

The manufacturers of PMU drugs would like us to believe that every single foal born as a result of these pregnancies is sold to be used for companionship, recreation, ranching, shows and competitions–what they call “productive markets”. In reality, the fillies grow up to replace their worn-out mothers. The colts fates are already sealed. The horse market is over saturated as it is, and there aren’t enough homes for another estimated 5,000 born from this industry every year. As a result, PMU foals are at risk for slaughter, their meat shipped to Europe and Japan for human consumption.

We were amazed at how many horses there were, it’s hard to believe such beautiful creatures could be unwanted. We were also amazed at how much work is involved! If you’re in southwest Colorado and would like to volunteer, please visit challengingspirits.com. Or if you’re unable to physically volunteer, donations are very welcome and very needed, and can be made online.

Remember our current Pop Promo allows you to spend your stimulus check with us and save 15% off any size and any style of Pop Art Pet portrait!

Just place your order today and enter the discount coupon code, “STIMULUS” to receive your discount.

Happy Independence Day!

Obviously many, if not all, of our clients are art lovers as well as animal lovers, so occasionally we get special requests to emulate a favorite artist.

For example not long ago we were asked to do a portrait of this adorable Basenji, Tucker. The custom pet portrait was a gift for Tucker’s dad who is a big fan of Van Gogh. This is what our artist came up with.

Not bad, huh?

Then there’s Mojo, a happy boy reportedly always in motion! His dad wanted us to design a portrait as a gift for his mom, and he wanted us to know that she loves the works of James Michalopoulos, a celebrated New Orleans based artist.

He was hoping we could just use the same sort of vibrant colors and similar texture for his Traditional style pet portrait of Mojo.

We hope his mom likes our use of colors and texture too!

We actually appreciate it when our clients have specific ideas and special requests, it gives us direction and often provides us with new and exciting challenges.

Please contact us if you have a favorite artist and want to know if we can do a portrait of your pet in a similar style.

A great “Sanctuary Story” from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah recently involved one of our favorite clients, Marissa.

It seems that a woman named Macey was hiking around in southern Utah, not far from Best Friends, looking for Native American artifacts. What Macey found instead was a dog badly in need of help. Ava’s leg was caught in a coyote trap. It seemed like Ava had been there at least a day.

In fact, Ava was lucky indeed that Macey showed up at all. This particular spot was at least five miles from the closest home. Macey freed Ava from the trap and then spent a week and a half trying to track down Ava’s family. Ava wasn’t wearing a collar, and no one responded to fliers and newspaper ads. Meanwhile, the vets taking care of Ava thought she would need to lose the injured leg. Macey was not in a position to care for Ava long-term. So after it became obvious that nobody would claim Ava, the pup came to Best Friends to heal. They were of course willing to find or provide her with a forever home and they managed to save her leg! Now she melts hearts on contact!

Then the story gets even better for Ava and for our regular client Marissa, who randomly came across the article about Ava and contacted Best Friends Animal Society/Dogtown. Marissa had spent a week at Best Friends as a volunteer in February so she just contact them to ask how this beautiful golden was doing. Then according to Marissa, “They asked if I was interested in adoption – there were several applicants ahead of me, but I was welcome to fill out an application and be placed on a waiting list. I went ahead an applied; however I didn’t hold my breath.”

Sometime later she was told that the applicants before her had been eliminated as potential new homes for Ava. She was now first on the list and that she and Chloe her lovely Golden that we did a portrait of last year, had passed their home check. “I was shocked! I would need to wait 1-3 months before she could come home due to the uncertainty of her medical condition. At this point amputation was still an option and Ava was fighting a nasty infection.”

Finally Marissa received an email that Ava was released from medical hold and she was free to pick her up and take her home, they asked how soon she could make the 600 mile journey from here in Denver.

Marissa also told us, “To my amazement, I was also notified that since she arrived at Best Friends, Ava’s story was being followed by the film crew for National Geographic Channels’ program “Dogtown” – stay tuned for her episode – scheduled to air this fall.”

So Ava has had quite a reversal of fortune, from being caught in a coyote trap to being the star of a television show and soon to be the subject of a Pop Art Pet portrait of her own!

To date Marissa has comissioned us to do five different custom pet portraits as gifts for friends and family, then finally one for herself of her Chloe, and we are currently working on yet another portrait for yet another gift for another friend for Marissa! Don’t you wish she was your friend too?!