Shaun Mitchell of West Jordan was bent on doing everything he could to keep his 5-1/2-year-old Boxer Charlie alive after learning he had lymphoma. So he now devotes his weekends to driving Charlie 400 miles to a facility in Las Vegas and back, hoping that his dog will be free of cancer one day.
Mitchell has taken up painting to pay for Charlie’s costly vet expenses and experimental treatment. For only $40, people may purchase an 8 × 10 canvas oil painting of their pet. And, even though he doesn’t consider himself an artist, the requests keep rolling in, which he can owe in part to his wife, Tasha.
Mitchell put up a poster soliciting his artistic talents at a local store in an attempt to supplement some of the costs for Charlie’s treatments. His wife, on the other hand, shared a copy of the flier on social media. Following that, people from all over the world – including New Zealand, Australia, and New Finland, to mention a few – commissioned Mitchell to paint portraits of their dogs.
According to Mitchell, about 200 people emailed him about his paintings that weekend. Aside from wanting to have their pets painted, they also expressed their wishes to help Charlie.
Mitchell has been painting every day since putting up the fliers, one brushstroke at a time. He claimed to have painted for 166 days straight, three paintings a day. Along the way, he’s amassed an email inbox chock-full of stories of other dogs and fur parents eager to assist another pet in need.
The proceeds from the selling of the portraits all go to Charlie’s experimental treatment. Mitchell went on to say that he was overjoyed at how many people want to help Charlie and that he couldn’t ask for anything more.
Credit: Paints For Charlie