People Painting Pets: Animal Aid Of Tulsa Hosts Fundraiser Featuring Pet Portraits

If you have a pet, it is likely you have hundreds of pictures of them on your phone.

Animal Aid of Tulsa is helping you use those photos to give other animals a second chance.

The fundraiser is called "People Painting Pets." Pet owners send in a photo of their animal, and volunteer artists paint their portrait. However, executive director Maggie Brown said there is a catch.

"They might get a professional artist who is volunteering or an adult that is not a professional, and then also they might get a third grader."

The gamble is what draws people to the fundraiser. 

"I love them," said Melissa Pasha. "I actually have them hanging up in my office."

This is her fourth year buying a portrait and volunteering as an artist.

Pasha admits she is no Picasso but has been given great feedback.

"Even with my hesitancy on painting, I have found out that one of the paintings that I did a pet owner loved, so that is great. Some of them are even framed," she added.

The purpose behind the paintings is what really matters to Pasha. It has even led her to enlist more volunteers to join her. Each year she hosts a painting party for several of the volunteer artists to get together and paint their pet portraits. 

The People Painting Pets fundraiser helps give animals at Animal Aid of Tulsa a second chance at life.

Diesel, a senior dog rescued by the nonprofit, is one of the many animals it benefits.

"He is deaf and was unfortunately abandoned by his previous owner and was just kind of left to roam," said Brown.

In many cases, he would be euthanized, but Animal Aid of Tulsa had another plan.

"We take in animals that do not have homes, that have expensive medical conditions to treat so that hopefully they can go on to live a happy life," Brown said.

A picture-perfect life with their own forever family.

To order a pet portrait, visit their website here and then email the photo to paintmypetanimalaid@gmail.com. 

Portraits are $25 for one pet and an extra $15 for each additional pet in one photo.