Would you like another example of how art saved the day?  I will tell you a story.

First off, this is my hairy girl.  Her name is Adie, and she’s an old lady.  She’s a 10-year old lovable Boston terrier, who unfortunately is beginning to fall apart a bit.

When we first got her, she was weensy.  She weighed two pounds and could fit in your hand.  She came to us with an ear infection and worms, and had to be medicated, but after some time, she was happy and healthy.

Our other dog, a boxer named Scout, became her adopted big sister, and–despite being three times her size–was VERY gentle with her, and always let her think she was the boss.

Adie loved me from the moment I first held her, and the love was completely mutual.  She always has to be near me… she follows me from room to room, and especially now that she’s older and prone to seizures (thankfully, meds keep them at bay), she’s constantly by my side and underfoot wherever I go.

She’s a funny sleeper…

…she sits like an old man…

…and because she’s my little roomba, sniffing around the kitchen, she ALWAYS has something on her snooter.

She’s an absolutely silly, sweet, and stinky girl (in every sense of the word–aside from having a Napoleon complex, she also has extraordinarily pungent gas).

But recently, we were told that a little lump on her nubby tail was cancerous.  As a Boston terrier, she barely has a tail ANYway, but now we were told her entire nubby tail  needed to be completely removed as soon as possible.

And it’s ironic–my husband just retired from the Army, and suddenly everything breaks down:  our AC needed repair, my car tires needed replaced, the dog needs surgery, and one thing after another needed our immediate financial attention.  We have some money in savings, but it’s allotted in preparation to get us through his retirement, until the next step of his career.  There was no question in my mind that we’d pay for the surgery–both my dogs are family, and if they need it, they need it.  But I cringed at our finances taking this kind of hit.

And then my husband half-jokingly suggested I have an art sale.  I actually thought it was worth a shot.  I have tons of artwork that is just sitting in my house, buried in sketchbooks or folders, waiting to be loved, and if people liked it, maybe I could raise some money for her surgery!  I took several pieces out, took photographs of everything, and put it up in my shop.  I even decided there were a few of the collaborations from when Myla was age 4 that I was willing to part with (I VERY rarely part with those!).

I made sure that there was nothing I would be sad over losing.  I made sure it was all artwork that I love, but I don’t have a deep emotional attachment to.  I chose things I thought people might like.  When I made my sale stack, there were a couple I decided “nope, I think I need to keep that one.” …It was all for a good cause, and all done with absolute love.  I put a post up, and crossed my fingers.

Within a few hours, I was amazed at how many sales we made!  The amazing comments that came in, all the wonderful well-wishes, all the kind words from people, it was all so overwhelming in the very best way.  Even those who couldn’t buy were happy to share on their own pages to spread the word–something I never expected.  We were all smiles over here, let me tell you.

By the end of the evening, with everyone’s amazing support, we made more than enough to pay for Adie’s tail removal!  She’s got an appointment for May 1st, and I’ll be sure to update my pages on how she’s doing.  Hopefully it’ll be a smooth job, they’ll get all the cancer, and she’ll be better off for it.

So thank you, all of you who helped by buying or sharing!  Thank you for all your kind words and thoughts.  Art saved the day, and you all made it happen, and I am very grateful for it!

I’ll keep you all posted.  Fingers crossed!

Save