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Canines on Canvas
An ongoing project to benefit Santa Barbara's Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (D.A.W.G.)
Mattie's Story
My
little dog, Mattie Mae, is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. In the storm's
aftermath, she was found in a flooded racetrack, starving and gray. She
was taken by volunteers to a shelter in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she was
given food and temporary care.
The huge numbers of animals orphaned after the hurricane overwhelmed local shelters. Volunteers from around the country did their best to rescue pets and find their families, but many were lost far from home. Pets were transferred to shelters around the country that volunteered to take them in and give them a second chance. Mattie - starving, shy, and with a bad case of heartworm - waited at the Hattiesburg Shelter for her rescue.
Then, four volunteers from Santa Barbara's Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (D.A.W.G) arrived in Hattiesburg in a van packed with supplies and ready to help however they could! At the end of their stay, the D.A.W.G. volunteers brought 7 dogs and 9 cats with them on their long trip back to sunny Santa Barbara. Mattie, finally with a full belly and blankets to sleep on, was one of those 7 'Lucky Dogs.'
Once at the shelter, D.A.W.G. volunteers and doctors spent hours (and thousands of dollars donated by D.A.W.G. supporters!) grooming, treating, and caring for Mattie and the other Katrina Rescues. For 13 months, Mattie spent her life either at the shelter playing with the other dogs, or at home with D.A.W.G. workers, while all of the other Katrina pets were adopted. After a while, Mattie decided that she'd rather stay in a foster home than at the shelter, and D.A.W.G.'s Andrea Stout became my little girl's foster mom. At her foster home, Mattie began to come out of her shell and became friends with Andrea's two other rescue dogs, Lola and Dutch, who helped teach her how to act like a dog again!
I first met Mattie on October 4th, 2006, and it was love at first sight. We officially became a family in December, and have been best friends ever since. Mattie comes to work with me every day, and is our official 'Lab Mascot.' In our time off, we love walking at the Douglas Preserve or at Hendry's Beach. She's also a celebrity on campus, where she makes her daily rounds to all of her fans who happily give her doggy treats!
I can't thank D.A.W.G. enough for helping Mattie (now Mattie Mae) until I could find her. I've started working on this project (The D.A.W.G. Benefit Project) so that other rescued animals will get the same incredible treatment that Mattie received before being adopted. So, for sales of available works, 100% of proceeds go to D.A.W.G. If you would like to commission a painting, 80% will go to D.A.W.G.
If you are inspired by Mattie's story and would like to donate to D.A.W.G. directly, please visit their website.
Mattie and the D.A.W.G. Art Project were featured in a recent Holiday D.A.W.G. Newsletter - Read it HERE!
Read about Mattie's Happy Beginning in a feature article in D.A.W.G.'s Spring 2007 Newsletter - Read it HERE!
D.A.W.G. Gallery
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