Simply this:
When this arrived in the mail yesterday, we were both home. We stood together, opened the box, pulled this out, and gasped. Then I cried. Then we found ourselves touching it, almost as if we could pet Riley and have him come back to life. We miss him so.
Isn’t this incredible? Shanna has captured the beauty of our boy. Those ears that I loved to stroke. His beautiful coloring. And his incredibly soft and gentle brown eyes. I could lose myself in those eyes and often did.
Did you notice the bit of butterfly bush and the Eastern Swallowtail butterfly in the upper left hand corner? Heavenly.
We may not have human children, but we are parents. We were/are the mother and father of our three beloved dogs and there’s not a day that goes by where we don’t mourn their loss. Riley, who was rescued from the streets of Paterson, NJ. Who had never had any love or socialization. Who was difficult and scared for a long time but so worth it. Who had heartworm, but survived when we caught it in time. Scoutie, who was rescued from the desert in California, with a tail that had been docked for some reason. Lively and loving from the moment we met her. Winston, who had been given up by his family because of allergies and who was scared and bewildered when we found him at the Humane Society in San Diego. Who was our first child.
As I sit here at my desk and write about them, I find myself crying once again. Rescuing – for us – is the only way to go. Giving a home and a second chance to a dog is rewarding beyond measure.
Shanna has been most generous in these gifts, these treasured portraits of our babies. But now I’m going to pay her: I’ve commissioned a portrait of our boy Winston, because even though we lost him about 14 years ago, before my blogging days and a fancy camera, I think I can find enough photos of him for Shanna to create his portrait, as well. Riley and Scout lived fairly long lives; Winston was taken from us at the age of eight, when we discovered he had a tumor on his heart. He was gone far too soon and I fell into a depression after we lost him. We had Scout, thank goodness, but oh how I mourned him. And I didn’t yet have the outlet of a blog where I could write about him.
All of these portraits will be on our living room wall.
I’m not sure where I will put this photograph, but I just had it enlarged. It used to be the wallpaper on my phone:
Scoutie wearing my glasses.
I’m off to Michael’s today to buy some frames.
Shanna, I can never, never thank you enough. I dreamed of finding someone to paint our children, and you were the answer to my prayer. Bless you.
Happy Tuesday.
What a lovely painting of your boy. And Scout looks so cute in your glasses ♥
summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
Thank you, Summer!
I have tears in my eyes. She does capture their spirit! My heart is full of love for your sweet children and I’m going to commission a watercolor of my Charlie from her. I can’t think of a better gift to myself. Hugs!!
Linda
She does capture their spirit. What a talented and loving person she is!
What a beautiful gift!
It is beautiful and I’m so grateful, Carolyn.
Beautiful! I type this with tears. Beautiful portraits.
I get tears in my eyes every time I look at it, Doris. Thank you for loving Riley, too.
What a beautiful portrait and a lovely gift. Laughing loudly at the photo of Scout in your glasses – so silly and so fun.
I had a lot of those silly Scout photos. I have one with my winter hat on her head, among others!
So happy for you! What a gift! ;)
I will treasure it always, Donnamae.
And a big shoutout to Shanna….she is not only talented, but a very generous person! ;)
Thanks so much, Donnamae!
The paintings of your fur babies are so precious. I enjoyed reading the stories of how you came to have Scout, Riley and Winston. Our three fur baby kitties were rescues too. We found Freckles at the vet clinic while we were stationed in Massachusetts. She was very loving and gentle. We got Abby when we were stationed in Texas from the Spca. Abby saved my husband from being electrocuted. He was playing his electric bass and the water from the toilet was flowing down the hallway to where he was. It was Abby’s alertness that caused us to look. Neither cats are with us now. We now have Maggie who is just hysterical. She chases her tail. We got her from the Spca where we live now. I don’t mean to be so long. Just wanted to share our rescue babies with you as you shared yours.
I’m so glad you shared the stories of your rescues, Trina. They are our babies and we give them a fresh start and a new home. Nothing better. Your Abby was one smart girl!
Simply a lovely portrait of Riley – what a thoughtful and generous person Shanna is. Enjoy your gift!
I will, Karen. I can’t wait to see it framed.
beautiful … your babies and your love for them.
beautiful … your commitment to rescue animals in need and provide them with loving homes.
beautiful … shanna’s artwork and her giving those portraits to you.
all beautiful!
kathy in iowa
Beautiful, indeed, Kathy!
How blessed Shanna is to have this talent. And how beautiful of her to share it with you this way. I would love to commission a portrait of my Sooner too. Would you share my email address with her?
I’ll check with her to see if she wants to take more commissions, Debra. If she does, I will most certainly share your email address with her. xo
Shanna is so talented, capturing the spirit of your children so exquisitely. Your stories of your dogs’ rescues touched me. I’m unfortunately allergic to most dogs, but I do adopt rescued cats. I feel sad when I think about my cats having to fend for themselves in the streets. My previous two sweeties, found as almost newborns with so many fleas, even in their eyes, that the rescuers didn’t know if they would survive the bites. And my current chowder of three, rescued off the streets at nine months, surviving through a wet winter in a bad part of town. Isn’t it wonderful when animals who are scared, used to fighting for their lives on a daily basis, and/or abused blossom under loving tender care?
You have the compassionate heart of a rescuer, Wendy. Your babies have been blessed by your love and you have been blessed by theirs.
You, too, Claudia. Your three canine children were fortunate to have you and Don. And you were thrice blessed with loyalty and love only a dog can give.
xoxo
What a generous gift! Shanna did a wonderful job getting his personality when I look at the photo on your sidebar. You have been blessed to have had such sweet babies. Our Chloe is a rescue too, as all of our dogs have been. She had been thrown out of a car on the interstate as a puppy. After two years of surgeries done pro bono by different veterinarians for a broken pelvis and broken back legs, we were the lucky people to adopt her from a rescue group. My goodness, she has been the best dog we’ve ever had. We’ve loved each one of our previous two babies, but she seems to know what it’s like out there in the big, bad world and is so grateful to be in our home. She’s laying at my feet right now and is never more than a few feet from me when I’m around her. I would be lost without her, so my heart goes out to you and Don.
Blessings,
Betsy
Thank goodness someone rescued her and got her the surgeries she needed. Then you swooped in and gave her a forever home. Beautiful.
Words fail me Claudia. Beautiful gift and lovely post.
Thank you, Janie.
Beautiful, heart warming post.
Thank you, Tana.
Shanna is a gifted artist, and you are lucky and blessed indeed to have such keepsakes of your sweethearts. The third portrait will complete the set! I’m glad you are doing that. Rescues are the only way to go. I can only hope there are enough of “us” to take in all of “them!”
Me too. They need a home. If I could take them all in, I would!
What a wonderful and thoughtful gift!! And the picture of Scout in your glasses … priceless :)
I loved to dress that girl up, Debbie!
Thanks Claudia, and everyone (!) for your kind praise. I’m laughing, too, at Scout in your glasses—priceless shot!
I agree about rescue animals. Glory is our third fox terrier, but our first rescue. She was four when we got her from a breeder who had sort of given up on her. She was trained to be a show dog. When her allergies made that occupation unworkable, she was relegated to having puppies, but that didn’t work out either, as they all died within weeks of being born. When we met her and heard her story, we just had to take her and give her a better life, but taking her has made our lives all the better! She is the calmest, sweetest terrier we’ve ever seen…and I’m sure that that is due, in part, to her gratefulness for a family.
Your Glory has found a loving home, bless her heart. And you have found a beautiful, sweet girl. Thank you, Shanna.
Rescuing IS the only way to go. In my opinion too, at least. So many animals with so much to give who just need a family and a home in which to do it.
PS – another spot-on portrait by Shanna. That girl has a certifiable gift! The ability to capture the very essence of a beloved pet for the families who love, and sometimes miss, them. There are portraits in the White House that don’t catch the soul of the subject as well as Shanna has done with Scoutie & Riley. And I only know Riley from that one photo on your sidebar. If she wants them, I hope she gets many more commissions in the future. 🐶 🐱
I do, too. She captured Scout’s spirit and she captured Riley’s spirit. She has an extraordinary gift.
Your babies; little darlings. My God, Claudia, I have never been on a blog EVER where the blog owner was so loved. You give and you get back. To think a reader did this for you…a matching pair and now, with the commissioned work, they will be a trio with complementary colors, sketch and expression. What a wonderful thing. I’m so glad you shared this with us.
I am humbled by the generosity of my readers, Vicki. I’m not sure why I am so fortunate, but I surely don’t take them for granted. I’m a lucky girl, that’s for sure. Isn’t that portrait of Riley wonderful?
Love your stories of rescue and so many of your readers who also rescue. Rescues are so loving and are such wonderful companions. It is as if they know what we did for them….. but I can’t comprehend what they have done for US. And if someone wants a particular breed of dog, I think every breed has their own rescue sites where they will help you find the exact dog you want without supporting puppy mills.
Shanna is a wonderful person. What talent!!!! I cried when I saw the picture of Riley. Just beautiful!!
Yes. Scoutie was a rescue through Border Collie Rescue. We found her at an All for Animals sort of day in Delmar, CA. Don saw her and stopped in his tracks. We didn’t plan on rescuing a border collie, but when we saw her, it was a done deal.
I just got home from buying a frame for Riley’s portrait. Can’t wait to hang it!
Beautiful post. What a sweet and talented person is Shanna! I have often wondered how you came to have your sweet fur babies. The best fur babies are the ones that are rescued. We have four wonderful rescues now that make our lives so much better. Thanks for sharing, Claudia. You and Don are such special people.
They enrich our lives so much! I’m so glad you have rescues as well, Dottie.
The watercolors of Scout and Riley are just beautiful! Shanna does such a wonderful job capturing their spirit, you can see it in the eyes. Scout looks so cute with your glasses on. Even though they are gone, time comes when you remember all the silly and funny things they did and that warms the heart. Have a wonderful day!!
hugs
We are starting to remember the funny things – and there were many – that Scout did. She was such a scamp!
Just beautiful Claudia..Shanna you have a gift that brings joy to others…be proud of what you do!
Shanna is blessed with compassion and talent, Nancy. I can never thank her enough!
Simply gorgeous!! How beautiful all three paintings of your babies will look hanging in your living room!
I know! I can’t wait to see all three of them there, Donna.
How generous and wonderful. Shanna has a gift, that’s for sure, and she knows how and when to share it. This is just what the doctor would have ordered.
I agree, Nancy. I love sitting in my chair in the living room and gazing at their portraits. Makes me happy.
Oh I love this SO much!
Thank you, Linda!