SU Exhibits Paintings Created by Service Dogs June 5-22

SALISBURY, MD---Not only does Shore Service Dogs, Inc. train dogs to aid people with disabilities, the local non-profit organization has also taught them to create works of art.

An exhibit of paintings created by three different dogs is on display at Salisbury University June 5-22 in the Atrium Gallery of Guerrieri University Center.  Painting and service task demonstrations are 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, June 5, 12 and 19.  Gallery Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Wednesday.

In addition to its service training, each of the dogs, a Doberman, a chocolate lab and a shepherd/foxhound mix, has also spent months learning to steadily hold a paintbrush in its mouth to paint on paper and canvas.  The original pieces, numbered prints and note cards are being sold to raise money for the dogs’ education and care.

Founder and SU alumna Mary Stadelbacher (’94) said she’s seen other dogs paint with their paws on canvas, but never holding a brush.

“My dogs go straight over to the canvas and paint until I tell them to stop and come back for another color,” she said. “It looks so simple but it is a fairly complicated task. They not only had to learn to hold the brush in their mouth, but also to keep it facing forward and to actually hit the canvas, not the side or me.”

Shore Service Dogs, Inc. in Salisbury was created to provide second chances for both people and dogs in need of assistance. Stadelbacher brings abandoned and abused dogs into her home and custom trains them to become Service Dogs for people with mobility disabilities. For more information visit www.shoreservicedogs.com.

Sponsored by the University Galleries, the exhibit is a fundraiser for Shore Service Dogs, Inc.  Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-548-3972 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.