Life was not kind to a sweet Boxer-Pit Bull mix who was found bloodied and cowering in a drainage pipe. Dog fighting had cruelly ripped off most of his left ear. In 2019, the 4-year-old arrived at a rescue in North Carolina and received the care he needed, including surgically removing what was left of his ear. The pup was then named Van Gogh. Christy Langley explains he was named after the famous painter “not because he is an artist, but because he is a work of art.” What Langley couldn’t predict was that Van Gogh would actually go on to be a successful artist.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the adorable brindle dog with his soft brown eyes and kind smile. A Facebook post from May 2022, though, detailed that through no fault of his own, Van Gogh was back at that same shelter, waiting to be adopted. Now a senior dog at 7 years old, Langley describes him as “well-mannered” and “chunky” with a “heart-melting smile.” She urged people, “Please come meet this special boy and reciprocate the limitless love he has to offer.” Jaclyn Gartner took it a step further.
Gartner owns the Happily Furever After Shelter in Connecticut, a shelter that helps dogs in shelters that are at risk of being put down. She saw Van Gogh and immediately knew she needed to help. “He’d had an absolutely horrific life, and yet he looked happy, and I was told he got along well with people,” Gartner states. “Van Gogh was resilient, even after all he’d been through…I had to rescue him.”
So, through the help of Pilots N Paws, Van Gogh got on a private flight from North Carolina to Connecticut in June 2022. Gartner got to work telling everyone about the friendly and adorable Van Gogh on Facebook, Petfinder, and Rescue Me, but no one responded. While he was staying with several foster families, “Not a single application came in,” Gartner lamented. “I couldn’t believe it. He was the cutest dog ever.”
After months of searching for a new owner, Gartner had an ingenious idea. Why not take Van Gogh’s name literally? “I’d seen TikTok videos of other dogs creating paintings, so why not Van Gogh?” Gartner explained. “He certainly had the name and the ear for it.” Gartner got to work, putting globs of paint on a canvas, wrapping it in a plastic bag, and coating it with peanut butter as a tasty treat for the pup. It only took five minutes for Van Gogh to lick the plastic-coated canvas clean and for a work of art to be created.
“He has a fast and creative tongue,” Gartner raved. “It takes more time for us to get the canvas ready for him than it does for Van Gogh to lick off the peanut butter and smear the paint around.” They worked on paintings for about a week and then, Gartner invited people to an outdoor art gallery event on October 23, 2022. “I had sparkling cider and pastries and I even set up little stands for the paintings.” Sadly, only two people showed up.
The next day, Gartner says, “I put out a post on Facebook that I felt bad only two people showed up, and I said the rest of the art was still available.” Suddenly, Van Gogh’s pieces were hot items. After two minutes, the paintings were sold out and Gartner raised around $1,000 for her rescue. In November, after the painter pup completed more works of art, Gartner held a silent auction that was a rousing success. A dozen paintings were sold, raising $2,000 more for the shelter. Almost everyone that purchased a Van Gogh painting paid more than the asking price. The biggest success of all, though, was that on the last day of the silent auction, Van Gogh was finally adopted.
Jessica Starowitz, a foster volunteer at the shelter, was looking after Van Gogh and said, “As soon as I saw him, I knew he’d be a foster fail.” She describes, “He was romping around and licking everyone and playing tug of war. My whole family fell in love with him.” The adoption was finalized in November 2022 and around the same time, an Instagram page for the famous pup was created.
Because of Van Gogh’s story and talent, Gartner’s small shelter gained a lot of attention online. Other dogs searching for homes were also able to find their Furever After. “I never in a million years thought I’d see a dog become popular for his paintings,” Gartner said. “It’s really changed my life and his.”
Starowitz plans on keeping prepared canvases—and lots of peanut butter—available for the canine artist whenever inspiration strikes. “Whenever he sees a Ziploc bag and a jar of peanut butter, he knows it’s time to paint,” says Starowitz. “But right now, he’s sleeping on a big cushion bed in my office.”
Life was not kind to a sweet, one-eared Boxer-Pit Bull mix named Van Gogh, who was a helpless victim of dog fighting.
Jaclyn Gartner owns the Happily Furever After Shelter in Connecticut, and helps dogs in other shelters who are at risk of being put down. When she saw Van Gogh’s sweet face, she knew she had to help the senior dog.
Through the help of Pilots N Paws, the pup was flown out to Connecticut. Gartner got to work getting the word out about Van Gogh through Facebook, Petfinder, and Rescue Me, but no one responded.
“Not a single application came in,” Gartner deplored. “I couldn’t believe it. He was the cutest dog ever.”
After looking at the adorable, one-eared pooch, Gartner had an ingenious idea. Why not take Van Gogh’s name literally?
Gartner got to work, putting globs of paint on a canvas, wrapping it in a plastic bag, and coating it with peanut butter as a tasty treat for the pup.
It only took five minutes for Van Gogh to lick the plastic-coated canvas clean and for a work of art to be created.
After creating a few more pieces with the artist pup, Gartner invited people for an outdoor gallery event. Sadly, only two people showed up.
After posting online about the low turnout, Van Gogh’s pieces were hot items. After two minutes, the paintings were sold out and Gartner raised around $1,000 for her rescue.
The duo created more works of art, and in November, a silent auction was held.
A dozen paintings were sold, raising $2,000 more for the shelter. Almost everyone that purchased a Van Gogh painting paid more than the asking price.
The biggest success of all, though, was that on the last day of the silent auction, Van Gogh was finally adopted.
View this post on Instagram
Jessica Starowitz, a foster volunteer at the shelter, was looking after Van Gogh and said, “As soon as I saw him, I knew he’d be a foster fail.”
View this post on Instagram
Because of Van Gogh’s story and talent, Gartner’s small shelter gained a lot of attention online. Other dogs searching for homes were also able to find their Furever After.
View this post on Instagram
Starowitz plans on keeping prepared canvases—and lots of peanut butter—available for the canine artist whenever inspiration strikes.
“Whenever he sees a Ziploc bag and a jar of peanut butter, he knows it’s time to paint,” says Starowitz. “But right now, he’s sleeping on a big cushion bed in my office.”
View this post on Instagram
Van Gogh the one-eared dog: Instagram
Happily Furever After Rescue: Facebook | Website
h/t: [Washington Post]
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