Title: Hope

Artist: Marnie Claunch

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Dimensions: 24"x36"

A huge parking lot filled with tractor trailer rigs was where three friends decided to rest. It was August, and the heat was sweltering, so the shade from the trailers was all they could find to keep them cool. We passed rows of trailers before finally

spotting them in the shade. We wanted to rescue all three, but we wanted the tan male first because he was the one in the worst shape. He moved slowly, and his skin was pink, scabby and irritated. He was missing large areas of hair and had scars on his face. Like many we see on the street, his eyes had gone dead. No brightness or sign of hope in them.

None of the dogs seemed interested in letting us approach, so we set a trap. It didn't take long before the tan male went in. He was so scared. It was obvious he hadn't had much interaction with people. After getting him in the jeep, we reset the trap but took this boy back to the shelter so a vet could look at him immediately. There were people at the park keeping an eye on the trap for us.

First thing the next morning we got a call that the other male had gone in. He was older and looked to have had a really rough life so far. To see the sad, defeated look in his eyes made us thankful that he was also now safe.

One of the tough things about finding multiple dogs is that usually at some point only one is left. We saw the smaller tan female, still hanging out in the area so we reset the trap again. We were sure that another call would come letting us know that she was in the trap. Sadly, that call never came. The last image I see is her walking off slowly into the tall grass. She stopped once and turned around to look, then continued until we couldn't see her. We searched those weeds with no luck, and we never received another call that she had been spotted again in the area. We do find solace knowing two lives were saved that day, and we were able to give two dogs a loving foster home together. However, it is the ones we aren't able to rescue that haunt us every day, and we never forget them.

Due to the size and/or fragility of this item, it is NOT available for shipping. It is Pick Up Only. If you are the winning bidder and are not in attendance to pick up your artwork the night of the event at the Four Seasons, artwork will be available for pick up from the Pine Street Shelter starting Friday, June 18th.