Paws for Love was founded by Ellyn Jaques Boone, a northern California artist with a passion for helping animals. Ellyn has been painting with shelter animals for many years. She began her unusual journey when her own shelter dogs, Woody and Cooper, raced across a painting-in-progress which she had placed on the floor. The brightly colored paw prints they tracked through the house inspired her to assist them in the creation of paintings to be given as gifts to friends. In February of 2000, she turned her special skill into a fundraiser to benefit a local animal shelter by launching an art show, sale, and auction she dubbed “Paws for Love.”

Each painting whether a soft, impressionistic paw print or bold colorful abstract is framed, titled, and accompanied by a photo and biography of the “artist”. The paintings sell quickly, usually within an hour of the exhibit’s opening.

“We communicate with our animals in so many ways,” muses Boone. “These unexpected artists may not know the difference between an O’Keeffe and a Matisse, but they all respond to kindness and affection. Together, we hope that each little painting might capture the attention of just the right person who will subsequently decide to adopt one (or more!) of these devoted companions.”