Mary Stadelbacher has been training various animals for 32 years, and service dogs for 5 years. The founder of Shore Service Dogs, she takes abandoned dogs from shelters and teaches them how to assist people with limited mobility. It can take two years of training, but upon completion, dogs are able to close car doors, take laundry out of the dryer, help a person from a chair, and even put dirty dishes in the sink. Mary figured if they could do all that, why not teach them to paint?
With a custom brush and a lot of patience (she herself suffers from fibromyalgia and severe back pain) she did just that. Now her three dog artists, Major, Kayne and Sammy, exhibit their process and their artwork at various fundraisers throughout Maryland. The finished pieces (which to me look completely joyful and spontaneous – like you think dogs’ art would) are sold to raise money to train new dogs. You can see the artists in action at Salisbury University from June 12 – 20. Read Marlene Jensen’s Salisbury, MD Daily Times article for further details or contact Shore Service Dogs.
6.13.07 Update : Mary Stadelbacher sent me a lovely note and information on the dogs’ demonstations. The next live painting show will be June 19th at 2pm. The exhibition of their work runs until the 20th. Thanks Mary 🙂
6.19.07 Update: Exciting news from Mary Stadelbacher! She and her dog Major will doing a live demonstration on Fox’s Morning Show with Mike and Juliet — due to air this Thursday, June 21. Click here to get show listings for your area. Good luck Mary and Major!
6.21.07 Update: More news from Mary Stadelbacher! Jay Leno will be showing a clip of Major painting on The Tonight Show, either tonight June 21, or tomorrow June 22. Set your Tivos. And congratulations Mary! This is incredible!
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