Strays dogs take up painting for UK charity
BRISTOL
In their studio in Bristol, western England, rescue dogs Rosie and Alba are hard at work on their canvases, redefining the essence of abstract art - one tail swish at a time.
To the untrained eye, their work at Bristol Animal Rescue Center (ARC) could be seen as boisterous, childish at times and even just plain old messy. But the two canines have a far more important job than pleasing critics.
Inflation and high interest rates across the U.K. plus people abandoning pets they bought during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in strays and stretched the ARC to its financial limits.
The RSPCA animal welfare charity has said it is "desperately concerned" about soaring animal abandonments as winter approaches.
Up until the end of October, the RSPCA in England and Wales received 17,838 reports of abandoned animals. If the trend continues, it said it expects to see around 21,417 reports in 2023, compared to 16,118 reports in 2020.
"Many rescue centers are full to bursting, so we are facing an unprecedented winter crisis," RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy said.
As such, the privately funded ARC has had to come up with creative ways to bring in money.
One of the ideas conceived by staff at the center was to hold an online "Mutt Gala" in December, an event inspired by Vogue Magazine's Met Gala in New York, where animal art would be auctioned.
Armed only with their snouts, paws and a natural disregard for the rules of composition, Rosie, Alba and a pack of strays currently boarding at the center have been more than willing to help.
Lawson said painting is used as a therapy tool for stray dogs, who often arrive at the center traumatized after their abandonment and having to live alone and unfed on the streets.
"Anything that encourages sniffing, licking and chewing is really beneficial because those are actually naturally calming behaviours for dogs," she said.
"So when they're sniffing or licking, it triggers the neurotransmitters in a dog's brain to release the happy chemicals."
To coax the dogs to the canvases, carers at the ARC use peanut butter and "squeezy cheese" from capsules, which encourages them to sniff, lick and get creative.
