“Thank You (Josie),” 6x8, yellow lab Paws With a Cause foster puppy portrait, $180. $36 from the sale of this painting will be donated to Paws With a Cause (www.pawswithacause.org). Inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (I am waiting to hear back from Josie’s foster mom – she gets first dibs on this painting).
Josie is a Paws With a Cause foster puppy who recently graduated from foster care, and began her advanced training. That means her foster family no longer has the joy of her company. Her foster mom shared with me her thoughts and emotions about the year she shared with Josie, and as I read them (all teary eyed, I must warn you), I thought of what sort of reply Josie would have. Hence the title of this painting.
I give you the following with Josie’s foster mother’s permission:
“….She came to me as a soft, unbelievably cute puppy, warm, sweet and smelling of puppy breath. Within five minutes, she wet on the floor. In the next year, she stole my heart….
Josie and I went to four obedience classes and we had a blast. She was always ahead of the other dogs…. Don’t look at me. I didn’t have to work with her. I showed her how to do things a few times and she had it.
We also socialized. She went to all kinds of places, like stores, restaurants, court, offices, anywhere I could think….. Everyone fell in love with her and she with them.
When she wagged… it started at her nose and waved all the way to the tip of her tail….
I know all of her habits, her likes and dislikes. Dry food has to have a lot of water added to it or she wolfs it down so fast, it gets stuck and she’ll throw up. She doesn’t like having her ears cleaned but she’ll let you. She loves to have the top of her neck scratched and she’ll beg you. She can be flipped on her back now to scratch her tummy, something she’d have no part of when she was a puppy…... She loves her nylabone and her twisted rope but destroys other toys within five minutes….. She likes to run and play and she loves her treats. She'd like to have been a lap dog. A sixty-five pound lap dog.
And today, I gave her back.
I’ve had a hundred people ask me, how can you give her up….? Only physically. I will never give her up in my heart.
Isn’t it hard, they ask, to give her back after you’ve had her for a year? Not as hard as it is for those living the rest of their life with a severe disability.
My heart is shattered but I don’t know if it’s because I miss her so much or if it’s because it’s bursting with pride at what a great dog she is and what a blessing she will be to her owner after her advanced training.”
Thanks, as always, for your time in looking. And in reading my sometimes long posts.
And thank you for forwarding these stories and paintings to your friends and families,
See you tomorrow with another PAWS service dog,
Until then,
Kim
PS I reworked Quito’s painting, and am much happier with it. You can view the finished version on his blog entry from yesterday – http://www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com/ . I also updated my blog – www.ksantini.blogspot.com – with images from my painting class. There are 4 paintings available for purchase on that site that you will not find elsewhere. Thanks again!!
Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings
http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.
Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web
Josie is a Paws With a Cause foster puppy who recently graduated from foster care, and began her advanced training. That means her foster family no longer has the joy of her company. Her foster mom shared with me her thoughts and emotions about the year she shared with Josie, and as I read them (all teary eyed, I must warn you), I thought of what sort of reply Josie would have. Hence the title of this painting.
I give you the following with Josie’s foster mother’s permission:
“….She came to me as a soft, unbelievably cute puppy, warm, sweet and smelling of puppy breath. Within five minutes, she wet on the floor. In the next year, she stole my heart….
Josie and I went to four obedience classes and we had a blast. She was always ahead of the other dogs…. Don’t look at me. I didn’t have to work with her. I showed her how to do things a few times and she had it.
We also socialized. She went to all kinds of places, like stores, restaurants, court, offices, anywhere I could think….. Everyone fell in love with her and she with them.
When she wagged… it started at her nose and waved all the way to the tip of her tail….
I know all of her habits, her likes and dislikes. Dry food has to have a lot of water added to it or she wolfs it down so fast, it gets stuck and she’ll throw up. She doesn’t like having her ears cleaned but she’ll let you. She loves to have the top of her neck scratched and she’ll beg you. She can be flipped on her back now to scratch her tummy, something she’d have no part of when she was a puppy…... She loves her nylabone and her twisted rope but destroys other toys within five minutes….. She likes to run and play and she loves her treats. She'd like to have been a lap dog. A sixty-five pound lap dog.
And today, I gave her back.
I’ve had a hundred people ask me, how can you give her up….? Only physically. I will never give her up in my heart.
Isn’t it hard, they ask, to give her back after you’ve had her for a year? Not as hard as it is for those living the rest of their life with a severe disability.
My heart is shattered but I don’t know if it’s because I miss her so much or if it’s because it’s bursting with pride at what a great dog she is and what a blessing she will be to her owner after her advanced training.”
Thanks, as always, for your time in looking. And in reading my sometimes long posts.
And thank you for forwarding these stories and paintings to your friends and families,
See you tomorrow with another PAWS service dog,
Until then,
Kim
PS I reworked Quito’s painting, and am much happier with it. You can view the finished version on his blog entry from yesterday – http://www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com/ . I also updated my blog – www.ksantini.blogspot.com – with images from my painting class. There are 4 paintings available for purchase on that site that you will not find elsewhere. Thanks again!!
Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings
http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.
Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web
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