Coco's second chance at a good life.
Coco’s life began in a shelter in California, where she had spent months behind bars, unsure of what the future held.
Her story is much like all other dogs left in cold, impersonal shelters: her days blurred together, filled with longing glances toward the door, hoping that one day, someone would choose her.
And one day, someone did choose her, and so would begin her second chance at living the good life.
California kill shelters.
California has more kill shelters than in any other state.
While it is an animal friendly state taking in well over 700,000 dogs into the shelter system each year, it is estimated that 100,000 are killed. (dogs in danger.com) The client had previously adopted Finn from a California shelter.
She sent me this photo of Finn in 2018 when she first contacted me to paint Finn, and her cat Reuben.
Finn at 6 months old at the California shelter waiting to be euthanized.
A dog always hopes to be chosen.
When Coco saw the family in the adoption centre, she wagged her tail with cautious excitement. It was as if she knew that this was her chance, and her life would be forever changed. The client fell in love with Coco’s kind eyes, her sweet personality, and the little spark of hope she radiated despite her past.
Coco becomes a Canadian canine citizen.
Coco's adoptive family from British Columbia (Canada's beautiful west coast province) have another rescue dog named Finn who is 10 years old. They weren’t sure the two dogs would get along.
However, in her new home, Coco quickly adapted to family life. The fresh sea air, the scent of pine trees, the sound of waves lapping at the shore were such a big difference from the concrete floors she was used to in California.
Finn, who also has his own rags to riches story so to speak, had long ago been through the same process as Coco, having to adjust to his forever home. He had to learn to trust his humans, and he treated Coco with patience and love.
Forever friends.
As the days went by, Coco and Finn enjoyed outings to the beach, exploring new hiking trails, and spending quiet evenings at home, curled up together.
For Coco, every day is a reminder of how far she’s come—from the shelter to her loving forever home with Finn.
Coco has learned the rhythm of her new family's life.
Finn taught her to savour quiet moments in the sunny spots in the yard or by the door. He also showed her the joy of racing after crashing waves, and allowed her to play with his favourite toys. With Finn, Coco found her true self and began to open up to the family who adopted her.
The two dogs are now inseparable.They look forward to daily walks in the city or even better, along British Columbia's amazing coastline. And after a long walk, which dog would not appreciate a lazy few hours curled up on the family couch?
Both dogs have a bond that grows stronger each day. They are in a loving home that they both once thought impossible.
Together, they are living their best lives, proof that second chances are real.
The client writes about Coco.
A while back, I received an email from a former client who requested a third ornament so that Coco would not be left out of the Christmas tree decorations in 2025.
I had painted Finn and Reuben in 2018 for her. They were among the first of my painted pet portraits. She sent me several photos which inspired me to imagine the life Coco might have had before and after her life in the shelter.
She writes: "You can see her character in these pics. She's a rescue and I got her when she was probably a few years old and I'm not sure she had any human contact previously as she was extremely skittish and I couldn't get near her at first, but once she trusted me, she has been my fiercest protector and cheerleader!!"
Other rescued pets painted by me in the past...
Once I started working on this blog post, I wondered how many pets I had painted that were rescues. It turns out that it's a lot! This makes me happy to know that all these pets are now in loving homes.
Of course, not all clients tell me the stories of the pets I paint.
Sometimes they are commissioning me to paint pets for friends and they really don't know the pet's story.
And I might not have remembered your pet was a rescue if I didn't include some information about your fur friend in my blog post. So if your pet was painted by me and was a rescue, please contact me so that I can make a note that your pet was also a rescue. I would appreciate it.
What amazing gifts you have given pet owners Louise, I never tire of seeing each and every work you have produced and I love reading the stories behind them. I couldn’t get over the number of dogs euthanased, it is horrible to think people are so thoughtless when either breeding or buying a pet they they don’t or can’t look after.
It is astonishing. In Ontario, animals are not euthanized unless they have behavioural issues or it is the most humane option. In most shelters in Canada, the mission is to rehome and prevent cruelty to animals. We even have organizations that bring dogs from other countries to Canada for adoption. We were at the airport in Malaga, Spain in 2018, and there were about a dozen dog crates with greyhounds being shipped to Montreal on our flight. And I know that one of my clients adopted a stray dog from the Canadian north (Ellie). Many clients share their stories of adoption with me. There are people out there trying to give stray and abandoned dogs a better life.
Oh my dear Louise, what an overwhelming story you tells us. I’m very touched to hear this. Kill shelters – I want to imagine this. I know that allover the world there are such shelters, also in Europe. I don’t know what people think when they do this horrible job. You know 15 months ago our daughter passed away. She had no children. Anyway she gifted us two dogs from a Russian shelter in Moscow. These are two German shepherd dogs. A girl in the age of 9 years and a boy in the age of 5 years. Both dogs are a very beautiful reminder to our daughter. They give us back much joy and we love them….
What a lovely way to remember your daughter. She must have been a kind and loving soul to save the two dogs from that shelter and now, they are giving you some comfort as they remind you of her. I didn’t know you had dogs. Thank you for sharing this with me.