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Pet Rescue Art: Hippie Kitty is back…

Pawffiti…important messages from the pets we love.

main brighterThis is my latest Pawffiti…it marks the return of Hippie Kitty…I have painted her in the past with a different setting and with a different message.  For reasons yet unknown to me it was time for her to return to canvas.  My art is my way of doing more…it allows me to be present at home for my house full of pets yet still do a little something to help the some of the pets still waiting for a family.  Hippie Kitty is going to be my first painting of which I have prints made.  I have never made prints of my artwork before.  I am not sure if that is because I didn’t have the time and energy to figure out how to do it or because I just wasn’t ready…but I suppose the more paintings and now prints I sell the more I can donate to help more animals.  I found a fabulous photographer in Lexington, Mary Resney, who specializes in photographing artwork…she has been so helpful and patient with an amateur such as myself.  She is making digital files of my artwork so not only can I do prints but at some point perhaps even some T-shirts and other merchandise.  The prints will be available in a few different sizes and will be printed on canvas.  The original is already listed for sale at my ETSY shop.

Like most of the country…Kentucky is having a wicked cold snap this week.  Here that means that too many dogs and cats are scratching out a living outside on their own.  There are a few counties in Kentucky that are really proactive…the animal control teams run non-stop responding to calls from concerned citizens who see dogs and cats left out in the cold.  But in most counties here…these animals get little to no help.  10404860_380184835476840_5050119956143225513_nThe laws protecting animals here are weak (the worst in the country in fact) and the appetite to change these laws even weaker.  The flagrant social acceptance of things like cock fighting and dog fighting are hard to stomach.   While I struggle with knowing what is going on around the state…I know I was meant to be here…time will tell what my own little role will be in the narrative of creating better lives for animals in Kentucky perhaps it will just be more painting.  I will be going to Humane Lobby Day next month in Frankfort and hope to hear some positive news about what can be done to make Kentucky a better place for animals.  It is going to take an army of advocates to change things here.  If you are a Kentuckian…please join me in Frankfort on Feb. 24th…email me if you need details (therescuemama@gmail.com).  If you want to follow more things going in KY to help animals follow my Facebook Page...I post any events, petitions, etc. there.

good coverWith all of our critters running around our house there really is no such thing as quiet time at the Halverson home…but we love our chaos and as the years pass Bret and I learn to appreciate life with animals more and more.   I have come to the conclusion that the animals choose us…each one coming in to our lives when they are suppose to and leaving when they are suppose to.   selfie 2We have three very senior dogs and a senior cat…they began slowing down a lot in the last year or so and each has some sort of chronic health issue now.  All of them manage to maintain their normal patterns albeit at a slower pace and they remain steadfast in their affection for us.  I am always amazed at their graceful acceptance of their aging and limiting bodies…as I get older I hope I age as gracefully as they do.  I consider it an honor to walk through their senior years with them and appreciate this time in their lives when they really do need their mama.

Its hard to believe that we have lived in Kentucky for six months now.  Despite some of the heartbreaking scenes we see for animals here Bret and I really do love it.  Kentucky is a beautiful state, the weather beats the pants off of Minnesota weather and we have made wonderful new friends here.  We have decided we didn’t really buy a house here…we bought a great big project…more work than either of us realized.  But this is our first home that we chose together as a married couple and despite the drafts, creaks in the floors, crooked doorways and questionable plumbing (eeek)…we love this house and for the first time in a long time…we feel like we are home.  We have decided we want to name our home…so far we have a few potential ideas….but want to stew on it a bit longer…if you have any suggestions feel free to offer them up!

Blessings from all of us and Rescue On!

Nancy

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Merry Christmas from the Halverson Pack!

When you really do have the perfect Christmas…

kingles goodI don’t know about you but I usually have mixed emotions about the holiday season.   The zealous commercialization of Christmas seems to have stolen its real meaning…the expectations of others seems to add too much stress.  It has been a long time since I have enjoyed the holiday season but this year instead of feeling emotionally zapped by it I was fully energized by it. The commercialization is obnoxious….still, there are some fun but silly activities that captured our amusement….like pictures with Santa. This year Bret and I really had the chance to focus on what means the most to us…each other and the current cadre of critters running around our house.  Our gift to each other this year…vet bills (they are so high right now with three seniors)…our gift to our critters has been and will always be our time and focus.

One of our holiday adventures this year was pictures wreally good bothith Santa at the Scott County Humane Society.  We took Lacey and Kringles…both made a lot of people smile with their cute little outfits and cooperative natures.  Kringles picks up chicks everywhere he goes.  After pictures we took them for puppy lattes at Starbucks.  Lacey knows what it means when we pull up to a Starbucks drive through and bounces around with excitement…if she wasn’t in a car seat I am sure she would leap right into the Starbucks window.

lacey lattepuppy latte kringlesChristmas Eve was bittersweet this year….sweet because the weather was fabulous most of the day and I spent most of the day walking dogs at the park.  For a Minnesotan…a 60 degree Christmas Eve is a wonderful treat! selfie 2With six dogs in the house right now I spend a good portion of each day excercising them…the biggest gift we can give our dogs is keeping them mentally, physically and socially stimulated…while that is not easy with six I do enjoy every minute of it.  walk in the parkI am lucky to have several parks within a few minutes of my house.  Sparky and Kringles are good walking companions…Sparky still loves his walks but moves very slow now.  Kringles has an enlarged heart and can no longer go on walks…he enjoys tooling along in his wagon…he is so content to ride along and enjoy the view.  The bitter part of Christmas Eve…the night before Christmas Eve I made a late night run to Walmart…to pick up some treats for a friend who just broke her leg.  It was getting cold and it was pouring rain…this picture was all I could think about….10868035_10153893293772588_6867434912571990884_nthis picture was taken by a local rescue group in the county I live in (it is one of several pictures of dogs living chained that day).  In the cold and pouring rain this dog had nothing but a plastic tote to keep it warm and dry….assuming its chain wasn’t tangled that night keeping it from the tote.  There was also a puppy at the site who was sharing the tote with this dog.  This is such a common picture of dogs in Kentucky.  When I look at this I do not wonder “how could anyone do this to a dog”…I know how…they are spiritually sick.  What I wonder is “how can an entire community look the other way?”   The problem in Kentucky is not simply the spiritually sick individuals who chain up and neglect their dogs…its the lack of will by the community to stand up say “NOT IN MY BACKYARD…WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS”.  Kindness to animals is simple and easy…and is one of many important benchmarks by which a  community’s conscience and spiritual health can be evaluated.

Also on my mind was this dog…Lola.  Lola was rescued in the nick of time…she was tied to a chain and left to starve.  Her brother was found dead at the scene…he slowly starved to death. lola This incident was also in Kentucky…just north of here.  Lola’s abuser has been arrested…which is great…but the maximum sentence for what he has done is 90 days.  This is a travesty of justice…yet there is no outrage.  Lola is healing (she had wounds all over her skin) and has gained considerable weight since she was found…but it appears her suffering is in vain…as despite the coverage of this incident in the press here…there are no laws to adequately deter this type of crime in the future.

The state of the dogs in Kentucky is such a frustrating situation…in most communities in Kentucky the laws are such that there is absolutely nothing you can do to help these dogs…if there are laws they are rarely enforced.  As I thought about that poor dog living in the tote that night I did the only thing I was able to do for it…pray. Pray for comfort and rescue for this dog and pray for grace to enter the heart of this dogs human….pray for this community to have a change of heart.  You can analyze societal problems like this any way you want I suppose…but I see this as a spiritual epidemic…perhaps it is time to start a prayer chain focused on the dogs of Kentucky because frankly I am not sure anything else will work.

Every time I see dogs in distress I want to run home and snuggle my own pets…lucky for me our two foster dogs are the world’s best snugglers.  If I asnuggling momm sitting down anywhere in our home….they are vying for my lap.  I really couldn’t be more blessed…I have learned so much from both of these dogs.  Our Christmas carried on…depsite my pre-occupation with all the dogs living in distress.
We stuffed the tree with presents Christmas morning….the dogs watched with great anticipation.20141225_080329 20141225_080128  Buster and Lacey attacked the present pile with great enthusiasm.  Kringles just wanted to snuggle.  Turnip just wanted his stuffed lambs.  Sparky just relaxed and watched the festivities in his usual dignified manner.  It was a delightful morning.  I leave you with a few of our family pictures from Christmas morning….a morning that I felt very blessed to have a husband who doesn’t just tolerate all the critters I bring home…he loves them…and blessed to play a small role in the lives of all these sweet creatures.  I believe the entire reason we are born on this planet is to grow spiritually…for each of us there will be different paths and roles that rub the rough edges off of us and aids in our spiritual maturity…for me…my path is pet rescue.  What we do in this world follows us into the next…

Merry Christmas and Rescue On! Nancy20141225_140711

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Pet Rescue Art: Peace, love, rescue…

Pet Rescue Art:  Peace, love, rescue…

This Pet Rescue painting is inspired by my cat Taco.  If ever you could label a cat a “hippie cat” it would be Taco…she is all about peace and lovin’ everybody up.  Taco is named Taco because she was found in a dumpster behind a taco joint.  From the moment I brought her home she was a relaxed and happy cat…she loves to meet new people and pets and lives under the assumption that everyone wants to be her friend.  When she needs it she has just the right amount of sass in her too.

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side view head shot front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pet Rescue Art is my passion, it is how I can work at spreading the word about how important it is to rescue pets instead of purchasing them.  Every day 8-10,000 healthy cats and dogs are killed in our country because they have no home, that works out to about six per minute.   My husband and I purchased our first dogs many, many years ago…we just didn’t know how many animals were dying in shelters every day.  My introduction to pet rescue was my lab Sparky…once Bret and I learned more about how many pets need rescue not only did we choose to rescue a house full of pets but we believe that sharing the rescue message will motivate people to choose to rescue vs. purchase animals like it did for us.  Check out my Art Gallery to view other Pet Rescue paintings I have done.

This painting is available at my Shop where I have a variety of fun pet rescue themed paintings and gift items for the pet lover.   If you are a rescue advocate consider following my blog…I blog about all things pet and pet rescue!

tacoI leave you with a picture of our sweet Taco who inspired this painting.

Rescue On!

Nancy

 

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Pet Rescue Art: Pawffiti…important messages from the pets we love!

Pet Rescue:  Pawffiti…acrylic on canvas…pet rescue art!

front brightThis is my latest Pawffiti…important messages from the cats we love.  This pet rescue art is an acrylic painting on mounted canvas so it can be hung on the wall as is. I paint the picture to continue on to the side of the canvas – see pictures below.   The painting is 12×12 inches (on a 1.5″ canvas).   I use masterpiece collection canvas, high quality paints and a final varnish (matte) to make my paintings a lasting addition to any home.

This painting is two cats admiring the moon and sitting patiently on a fence waiting for their forever home.  It is also depicts their propensity for mischief as they are painting a pawffiti message on the fence they are sitting on.

I do not make prints of any of my paintings, each is an original.  While I may paint several versions of a design I like, none are exactly the same and make a unique addition to the pet lover’s home!

The copyright does not appear on the actual painting…only on the photos.  Many of my paintings are available at my ETSY shop.

Pawffiti is beginning to take it on…I like to think of it as a way to “paw it forward” .   Last month three of my paintings were auctioned off to raise money for a local rescue group here in Georgetown.  Last week a man in Arizona bought two of my Pawffiti’s for his wife…turns out she gave up a lucrative job to work full time at a shelter in Arizona (a no kill shelter…woo hoo!).  I donated 10% of my Pawffiti sales to her shelter…and the art will hang somewhere where it can promote the message of saving homeless pets…SIX A MINUTE… that is how many healthy cats and dogs are killed each passing minute in the US, simply because no one wants them.  The more we talk about it…the more chances we have to save them all.

I hope you enjoy this …I just love this painting 🙂  Check out my Art Gallery to see other paintings I have done…if you love all things pet and pet rescue subscribe to my blog and get to know our pack better!  I post 1-3 times per week on my blog (pet articles, art, craft tutorials and more) and daily on my Facebook and Pinterest pages.

Rescue On!

Nancy

really big front side left side right