AssetID: 52997081
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Pooch Master Van Gogh Enjoying Happy Retirement After Raising Thousands For Fellow Hounds
Caption: A one-eared doggy artist named Van Gogh is enjoying a happy retirement after raising thousands of dollars for other rescue pups. The pooch master had an unfortunate start in life - and lost his ear in a dog fight. He was taken in by Happily Furever After Rescue in Bethel, Connecticut but initially found a new home hard to come by due to his rough and ready looks. However, that was before rescue centre chief Jaclyn Gartner discovered his amazing talent - painting. These are created by placing splodges of paint on a canvas, beneath a film, which Van Gogh then nudges into shape. Many are based on the human Van Gogh’s paintings. Explaining how his talent was discovered, she says: “We held a fundraiser where our rescue dogs painted and they were then auctioned off during a livestream event. Since Van Gogh came with such a clever name, I thought it could be a creative marketing tactic to help get him adopted as he hadn't had any interest over the course of five months of having him in the rescue. “I never expected for it to create the results that it did. Van Gogh instantly became an international viral sensation and helped raise awareness for animal welfare! It was truly remarkable to see.” As the artworks won him fans he got his own exhibition. Van Gogh’s fame also resulted in his adoption - as he is now living happily with a family in Norwalk, Connecticut. He has, however, retired from painting for now after creating 143 works in total. “Van Gogh has been doing well in his furever home and has been in "retirement" since March,” Gartner confirmed. The happy hound’s legacy lives on, however, as the sale of his artwork has raised thousands of dollars for Happily Ever After. One of his paintings - his version of The Starry Night - also sold for $10,000 - the record ever for a painting by a dog. “These funds have helped immensely with our medical cases and dogs that required further training,” the rescue centre owner said. However, there are no plans for Jaclyn to find a René Bark-gritte, or Andy Paw-hol to replace Van Gogh as Gartner says he is “one of a kind”.
Keywords: dog,artist,pooch,van gogh,charity,animals,pets,art,offbeat,feel good,photo,video,feature
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