Art therapy helps to calm stray dogs in the UK

In their studio in Bristol, western England, rescue dogs Rosie and Alba are hard at work on their canvases, redefining the essence of abstract art – one tail-swish at a time.

To the untrained eye, their work at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) could be seen as boisterous, childish at times and even just plain old messy.

But the two canines have a far more important job than pleasing critics.

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Across the UK, inflation and high interest rates – plus people abandoning pets they bought during the COVID-19 pandemic – has caused a surge in strays and stretched the ARC to its financial limits.

“People just can’t afford insurance and veterinary care and just to look after their dogs in general,” says Bee Lawson, an animal behavior specialist at the ARC.

“At the moment, we are just taking in strays because we are experiencing such a high level of dogs coming in.”

‘Unprecedented crisis’ 

‌The RSPCA animal welfare charity has said it is “desperately concerned” about soaring animal abandonments as winter approaches. Up until the end of October, the RSPCA in England and Wales received 17,838 reports of abandoned animals.

If the trend continues, it said it expects to see around 21,417 reports in 2023, compared to 16,118 reports in 2020.

“Many rescue centers are full to bursting, so we are facing an unprecedented winter crisis,” says RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy.

As such, the privately-funded ARC has had to come up with creative ways to bring in money.

One of the ideas conceived by staff at the center – inspired by Vogue magazine’s Met Gala in New York – was to hold an online “Mutt Gala” at which animal art would be auctioned.

Armed only with their snouts, paws and a natural disregard for the rules of composition, Rosie, Alba and a pack of strays currently boarding at the center have been more than willing to help.

‌Lawson says painting is used as a therapy tool for stray dogs, who often arrive at the center traumatized after their abandonment and having to live alone and unfed on the streets.

“Anything that encourages sniffing, licking and chewing is really beneficial because those are actually naturally calming behaviors for dogs,” she explains. “So when they’re sniffing or licking, it triggers the neurotransmitters in a dog’s brain to release the happy chemicals.”

To coax the dogs to the canvases, carers at the ARC use peanut butter and “squeezy cheese” from capsules, which encourages them to sniff, lick and get creative.

“We basically get a blank canvas or something similar to that, put some non toxic paint on the canvas, cling film on top of that, and then we put on their favorite treats,” said Jodie Bennett, a community and engagement officer at the center.

“For the dogs here, it’s usually squeezy cheese or peanut butter or something like that. And then the dogs will go over, lick and play with it.”

Sometimes some of the more energetic dogs walk on their canvases while others will use their whole bodies to create their art.

Up and coming

‌Bennett says that Major – a white husky rescue dog – had proved to be one of the more popular artists at the center, with his two works Excited I and Excited II drawing keen interest from both critics and art investors.

“His paintings show how he loves the feeling of excitement,” she says. “So they’re really big and bold and all over the place, like Major’s personality, so look out for him. He is a big up-and-coming artist.”

A yellow, orange and red highly abstract piece named Burning Man by a cat called Cammie, who arrived unexpectedly during one of the painting sessions, had also drawn keen interest, she said.

“Cammie did Burning Man – she used her favorite colors of fire because she’s a feisty lady,” she adds.

As for Rosie and Alba, their work is “pretty good”, Bennett says. Both had managed to produce some notable pieces that had raised a few eyebrows in the local dog art community.

“We’ve just done some really nice artwork with them,” she says. “I’m very proud of them and I would hang it up on my wall, definitely.”

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