Title: Untitled

Artist: Myra Bottom

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board

Dimensions: 14"x18"

A call from a US Marshall would take us on a rescue 1½ hours south of St. Louis. We loaded our van with crates, slip leads, traps, blankets and as always, Vienna Sausages.

The dogs he contacted us about were on a property that had been raided by the Marshalls. When they arrived, there was a single dog roaming the property. As the Marshall approached the door, shield up, gun in hand, the dog positioned himself between his legs. He kicked the door open, only to find more dogs living inside. Inside, there was feces and urine everywhere. Trash, stained furniture. Discarded items that made it evident that the people that lived there took off quickly.

There were 5 dogs on the property, three males and two females. Two of the males were larger, happy go lucky, derpy boys. The other was a handsome, little Beagle. He lived up to a true Beagle personality and bayed the entire time he was in the van.

The older female was a terrier mix. She was actually the first one in a crate and waited patiently as the others were leashed up and loaded in the van. The youngest of all proved to be the hardest to get! This all black, older puppy was very leery of going with us. We tried food, a trap, leashing her and even tried luring her back in the house to see if we could trap her inside. She definitely tested our patience and bag of tricks to capture her. We had moved the trap one last time, this time burying it in the brush to disguise it better. She still circled and tried to get the food out of the back. Just when we thought that she would completely avoid going in again, she walked in and tripped the door. We finally had her!

It was time to hit the road and head back to the shelter. Our newest rescues were quiet the entire ride back. Even our vocal little Beagle. They all got comfy blankets, bowls of food, water and were settled in at the shelter. This group would soon find forever families and start a new life. And the dog that helped lead the raid between that Marshall's legs…well, he found his forever family with that US Marshall.

*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. If you are not local to the St. Louis Area, shipping will be an additional cost and will be calculated for each piece individually.