This Shiba Inu is making his mark on peoples’ lives – and walls.
Meet Hunter, a 6-year-old Shiba Inu better known as Pawcasso for his amazing works of art.
Owner Denise Lo of Edmonton, Alberta, explained that like the rest of his breed, Hunter is an extremely smart dog and craves intellectual stimulation.
“He was a very energetic dog when he was a puppy so he really needed a lot of exercise, he really needed a lot of mental stimulation, so we did a lot of training and tricks with him when he was little so that he can stay engaged and not destroy the house,” Lo told InsideEdition.com.
A few years ago, they decided to combine their needs of keeping their pup entertained and finding new artwork for their walls, and see how Hunter would fare with a paintbrush and a pot of paint.
“We have this big wall behind our dining table and we’ve been looking for art to put on the wall and we wanted something that meant something to us, we didn’t want something from a big box store,” Lo said. “He likes learning new tricks and he already knew how to hold stuff and bring it to us, so we decided we wanted to give it a shot and see if he wanted to make some art for us.”
To their surprise, it was a hit.
Not only has Hunter now decorated the walls in their home, the pup also now has an Etsy account, creating unique pieces for patrons around the world.
An average piece of work goes for about $50 and larger pieces can be commissioned through their page.
“He’s actually quite consistent. Sometimes he can get a little wild and we try to capture that as much as possible,” Lo’s husband, Kenny Au, said. “If he’s kind of impatient or enjoying the treats we’re giving him, his brushstrokes will be a lot wilder.”
Ever since Hunter began his career in art, he has earned more than $1,000 and donated most of that back to the local animal rescue SCARS.
“Animals have been a big part of our lives and it is something that just seems appropriate,” Au said. “We’ve been pretty blessed with what we’ve been given and a lot of animals out there may not be in the best situation and it was important for us to give back in some way.”
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