Furball Fun!

Sam I Am with his finished portrait.

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter has been a huge part of my life over the past 5 years or so since I started giving my free time to their volunteer program. As an open-admission shelter, the staff and volunteers of this shelter set out to become a No Kill organization, and happily have achieved just that over the past 6 years, with 90% or more (usually more) of the animals in their care finding a forever family or being placed into a local, no kill rescue organization. 

Of course, saving these lives isn't free and while WCRAS does receive government funding for the basic care of these animals, it is imperative that additional funds are raised in order to continue as a No Kill shelter. The Wilco Furball is an annual fundraiser which brings in thousands of dollars to help animals like Sam I Am, pictured above!

Sam's painting up on stage
to be auctioned off. 

This year, my lovely friend Misty and Community Outreach Coordinator for WCRAS asked if I would join the furball team and showcase a live painting of Sam during the event. This painting was then auctioned off at the end of the night and every dime raised was given to the shelter. Sam was an amazing sport and loved all of the attention he received, including a special monogrammed cozy bed to snooze on during the event. 

In addition to the live painting, the shelter offered a silent auction as well as a live auction and included a wonderful video showcasing some of their amazing work. It has been an honor to be part of such a beautiful, life-saving organization and I am thrilled that Sam's painting was able to raise hundreds of dollars to help these wonderful shelter pets! 

Stephanie Conrad
Pet Studio Art | Owner |  Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Mutt Monday: Noah

This Mutt Monday features Noah, a gorgeous pup available for adoption through the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.

This charming gentleman is about 2 years old, neutered and up to date on his vaccinations. Noah came from a rough background and obviously had not been treated kindly by humans in the past. Luckily, the shelter was able to arrange a wonderful foster home and Noah is now thriving as he gets ready to be adopted into a family of his own! 

If you are interested in meeting Noah, stop by the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Georgetown, TX and ask for him at the front desk. The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter is an open admission county-run shelter. They take in all animals within their jurisdiction and in spite of thousands of animals entering their doors each year, they are successfully a No Kill shelter with a 90%+ save rate for the pets in their care.

Show your support for this shelter by making a donation or visiting www.wilcopets.org

Stephanie Conrad
Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Noah and Ellie, both available for adoption through the
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter

Unicorns make wonderful pets!

Have you ever wondered what a shelter dog dreams of becoming? Well, we asked a few of them and guess what, they wanted to become a unicorn! 

.... okay fine, maybe they didn't actually tell us in so many words, but once we brought out the costumes, they were 100% game!

Meet the unicorns of the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter:

ELLIE

Ellie is an adorable little terrier mix. Based on our time together, I might guess that she has a little bull terrier in her. She is a gem of a dog, loving, happy and very well mannered. Ellie is about a year old, spayed and ready to go to her forever home.

HANNA

Hanna is just precious! This sweet 3 year old pit bull mix is just as charming as she is cute. By the end of our photo shoot, I was covered in sweet kisses and absolutely in love. Hanna was surrendered to our shelter after her former owner felt he could no longer care for her. She is reported to be great with cats and seems to love every person she meets! 

PRINCESS

Princess fits her name well. This little Diva is just over 1 year old and is very energetic! She loved all the attention she got today while having her photo shoot! Princess is looking for her prince charming and would love a family that can offer her long walks (they don't have to be on the beach) and plenty of snuggles! 

Of course, we always want our adoptable pets to find amazing families, and sometimes, it takes a crazy photo shoot to get them noticed. If you or someone you know is looking to adopt a magical dog of their own, please visit (or encourage a visit) your local shelter to find the perfect pet! If you live in the Austin, TX area and are interested in learning more about Ellie, Hanna or Princess, visit www.wilcopets.org to learn about adopting these charming pups!

Order a Unicorn Kitten tote!

This photo shoot would not have been complete without the amazing unicorn horns from Brooklyn Owl! Last month, I reached out to Annie (owner of Brooklyn Owl) to let her know that I had a unicorn photo shoot in mind and she was incredibly generous in gifting these amazing unicorn horns to help the pups get noticed and find their forever homes. We cannot wait to continue using them and to promote more unicorn pups in the future! Thank you Annie!!

If you would like to offer your pup the opportunity to become a unicorn, visit www.brooklynowl.com and order a horn of your own. Please be sure to let Annie know that Pet Studio Art referred you! 

Stephanie Conrad
Pet Studio Art |  Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Pretty Girl was not so thrilled. 

Princess

Hanna

Of course, every photo shoot needs a few bloopers (or in Ellie's case poopers).

Fabulous Felines!

Walter - Adopted! 

Now that 2016 is officially here, I have finally had a break from the chaos of Christmas. My clients are amazing and I wouldn't trade the crazy last months of the year for anything, but I do miss my volunteer time each week since I have to focus on work and can't give away my free time as usual. Of course, now that I have a few hours a week, I love giving that time to my favorite shelter, the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter. Not only does this shelter work hard to provide a clean, friendly environment for both the animals in their care and potential adopters walking through the door, but we have continued to save well over 90% of the animals that end up at the shelter for the last 5 - yes FIVE - years!

WCRAS is an open admission shelter, which means we take in ANY domestic animals (that also includes pigs, goats and even chickens from time to time) that come through our door. This is no small feat. Last year, the shelter took in 2929 cats and not a single cat was euthanized for space. This all despite having a huge spike in intake this summer when dozens of cats were brought in from multiple hoarding situations. 

I am so incredibly proud to work with such a great shelter with such beautiful people - both staff and volunteers! 

Baby, awaiting adoption

Flower and Thumper cuddled up for an afternoon nap. Both have been adopted.

Samoa, available for adoption.

Shadow, available for adoption.

Nala, available for adoption.

Magical Moments...

The past few months have been hectic with holiday preparations for my little business. With this crazy schedule, I have unfortunately been unable to get to the Williamson County Regional Shelter for one of my favorite activities - photographing cats to help them find their forever homes! 

This week, I finally had a few free hours and made some time to visit the shelter and I am SO glad that I did because I had the opportunity to meet Jordyn. Not only does she love animals, but Jordyn has such a huge heart, she and her brother Jeremy decided that instead of gifts for their birthdays, they would ask for donations for the shelter animals! This week, Jordyn brought these gifts in; piles and piles of treats, toys, cleaning supplies and a personal donation to help our shelter financially! 

As a Thank You, one of our most adorable adoptable pups, Butter, came out to say hello and it was just magical watching Jordyn's face light up! Jordyn happily clutched Butter's leash and smiled affectionately at him as she shared her favorite dog stories with us, including her favorite show, Lucky Dog on CBS where she has learned the basic steps to ensuring a happy, healthy and well trained dog! Listening to her tell her stories, we were all touched by her love and passion for animals and we are incredibly honored to have such an amazing friend for our shelter pets!

Thank you Jordyn and Jeremy for supporting the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter! 

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Remembering Gracie...

Beautiful Gracie

Opening your home to a sick, senior dog in need is not an easy decision for some people. For my lovely friend Shannon, it has become routine and over the past few years, she has fostered several senior and hospice care dogs who came to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter from truly heartbreaking situations. Shannon has a huge heart and can look past the matted mess of fur to see that this little animal truly needs her. 

I first met Shannon, Gracie and her other sweet pups Tiggs nearly 7 years ago while I was running my first business offering Pet Sitting Services. Shannon lived in my neighborhood and from the moment I met her little pups, I was immediately head over heels for precious pups, Gracie and Tiggs. Whenever Shannon was away for work, I had the pleasure of snuggling up on the couch with these two little fluff-balls. Tiggs, bouncy as ever was happy to play fetch, get scratches and over-all become my best friend immediately. Gracie, on the other hand, refused to accept my love. It took hand-feeding this little princess to win her over, but once I did, I felt truly accomplished. 

Sadly, this week, sweet Gracie passed away. Shannon shared, "Rest in Peace my sweet Gracie Girl. You were my first furball, my sweet old gal, and my best friend. I love you sweetie." 

With most dog rescuers, there is always 'the dog that starts it all', the one that just changes your life and opens your heart to help these sweet little creatures. I think for Shannon, Gracie was that dog. Shannon might argue with me here, while we were talking this week, she made sure I knew Gracie came into her life from a breeder, but I really believe that Gracie showed Shannon the bond between dog and human. That bond led Shannon to open her home to Gertie, a senior girl who came into our shelter half-blind, full of mammary tumors and with most of her teeth missing. Shannon (along with Gracie and Tiggs) nursed Gertie back to health and while she lived the rest of her life wearing diapers and with medical issues, Shannon was happy to give her some wonderful months where she knew what it meant to be loved and part of a family. I now think of Shannon anytime a little fluffy white dog needs a helping hand. 

Tiggs, Lola, Gertie, Herra, Precious and Gracie

Things changed when Lola entered the picture. Lola came into our shelter with very little hair, but a charming personality. Shannon scooped her up and it wasn't long until the official adoption paperwork was completed. Even with a new permanent addition, Shannon was still open to fostering and it wasn't long before she had another temporary set of paws.  My personal favorite pair of fosters were the odd couple, Herra and Precious, a pit bull and Chihuahua combo who were surrendered to the shelter together. Shannon offered them a place to stay after they were pulled into the Georgetown Animal Outreach Program. Both Herra and Precious have been adopted into loving homes.  

Order your Gracie tote here!

There are so many other dogs that Shannon has helped along the way, I just can't even begin to share how appreciated and loved she is within our rescue community. My heart hurts for her as she mourns the loss of her fist pup. Gracie was a beautiful soul who was so lucky that Shannon chose her to love.

Of course, I wanted to do something special for Shannon in Gracie's memory, so Shannon and I decided that the newest face in my tote bag line would be sweet Gracie. 30% of every Gracie tote sale will be donated to Jane's Fund at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter through Christmas to help care for animals like Gertie, Lola, Herra and Precious.

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Bishop, Shannon officially adopted Bishop shortly after bringing him in! 

Lune Lovegood - Shannon opened her home to hospice foster Luna, who was
abandoned in a Walmart parking lot, in a box in Central Texas. Luna's time
may have been short, but because of Shannon, she knew what love meant.

Tiggs and Gertie

When fostering hurts...

Prada snuggles with two of her kittens.

Over the past 10+ years that we have been fostering animals, I have said goodbye to literally hundreds of fosters. At almost any given point in time, we have a fluffy litter of kittens running around, with the occasional foster dog or adult cat. My most recent group of fosters has been a wonderful little crew. Prada came into the shelter with an adorable litter of six very little kittens. She was placed in our kitten nursery at the shelter, where things run a little slower and the area is quite to keep the families a little less stressed. Even with an amazing staff and calm nursery, the shelter is not a great environment to raise babies and it was fairly obvious that Prada was not comfortable in the shelter. 

Prada nursing her babies shortly
after arriving to my studio.

On one of my weekly trips to update photos for the cat area, I stopped in to say hello to the nursery kittens and decided to take Miss Prada back to my studio, where she had a little more space to raise her family. Once at the studio, Prada made herself at home and relaxed. She felt safe and comfortable for the first time in several weeks and she showed that appreciation to me every day. 

Over the past 2 months, I have become so attached to my sweet momma and although I knew the time would come that she would go up for adoption, I wasn't as prepared as I expected. For the first time ever, I cried on my way to the shelter to drop off a foster. 

Today, Prada will get spayed and once she is on the road to recovery, she will be placed up for adoption. I may never see her again once she moves on to her new home and as much as that hurts, I know that without being fostered, there is a chance she could have lost her kittens, or worse, her life if the shelter had become too overcrowded. 

I volunteer with an amazing animal shelter. We are an open admission shelter, which means we take in any animals that come through the doors, no questions asked. We save nearly all of the healthy and adoptable pets that enter our doors, but that doesn't mean we don't have rough months where our kennels are all full and that dreaded kill-list could go up. 

As hard as saying goodbye has been today, I know that Prada was given a better chance at life because she came to live with me while she raised her family. Seeing her love and devotion to her kittens is an experience that I cherish. Prada has been a wonderful mother and I know that by letting her go, I am giving her the chance to be babied herself. 

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist

www.petstudioart.com

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Just One Day?

Today is anything but just another day! Many of my No-Kill supporting fans will know why I am so excited about today and what it represents. 

Today is the day that No-Kill supporters ask their local shelters (and all shelters across the USA - no, the World) to stop the killing. Put down the euthanasia needles and pick up cameras, pass out fliers, talk to the media and FIGHT for the pets in their care. Today is a day that we ask the shelters to open their minds and take a look at what No-Kill really is and invite the public to save more lives. 

We want to see empty kennels, not because animals were killed throughout the day, but because extended shelter hours, adoptions promotions and positive adoption campaigns touched their community and everyone came together for the greater good.

I know, it's a big dream - but the great part is, because of the hard work of those that put together the 'Just One Day' pledge, last year, nearly 800 organizations took part in this life-saving celebration! This year - I hope we double, triple or quadruple that number! 

To learn more about the Just One Day Pledge, click here, and be sure to 'like' the official Facebook page to keep up with some amazing stories throughout the day! 

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

So Many Kitties...

Yesterday, I stopped by the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter to photograph some of their amazing kitties! From time to time, I am asked why I prefer to work with the cats vs the dogs, since I come across as much more of a dog person. Well, in fact, I prefer cats! I do absolutely adore my dogs, but when it comes to my cats, there is nothing as special as having one of them curl up in my lap for a nap - or nothing as comical as my daily back massage while I am sitting in front of my easel! (Yes, Jazz, my black cat climbs up onto my chair and gives me 'biscuits' on the back of my neck while I work - it's super relaxing!)

While I find a dog that I love each week at the shelter and spend some time with him/her, when it comes to the cats, I just have a connection that speaks volumes. I divide my cat photos into three sections at the shelter. 

First, we have the kittens, which are always fun and adorable - they also get adopted faster than I can photograph them, so they really are the lowest photo priority for me. 

Then, I focus on the Senior cats. WCRAS has a great reputation for finding homes for all of the animals in their care, including the seniors. From time to time we have an influx of senior cats, but generally, the senior population is small and each is given as much attention as possible to ensure they do not get overly stressed in the shelter environment. 

Last, there are the adolescent and adult cats. This is my favorite group of cats, mainly because I really get to know these babies. Unfortunately, this group of cats are often the long-stay cats that I see from week to week. I find that I build a relationship with many of these kitties and from time to time, I make a point to update their photos in a new pose to maybe bring in a new potential adopter their way. 

Yesterday, in particular, I met an adorable kitty named Cricket. Cricket is terrified in the shelter environment, yet something in her eyes just screamed 'Play with me!' I always work slowly with cats like cricket, letting each warm up to me with a sniff of my hand and, if they let me, a nice chin rub. Cricket would crawl to the front of her kennel, sniff my hand, playful bat at it and cower back to the back of her blankets. She did this three or four times, while I made sure to sneak in a nice chin or ear rub each round. Finally, she allowed me to pick her up and immediately, she curled into my arm, purring loudly. In the moment, I could feel myself tearing up. This poor little cat, who probably had a family that loved her at one point in her life was left behind at the shelter. Of course, she is in good hands, but the shelter is not a home and she deserves a family that will give her all the love she deserves. As I put her back in her kennel, I couldn't help but give her a few extra rubs and kisses, letting her know that everyone here loves her and that, in time, a new family will adopt her and love her forever. 

Of course, not every cat is scared at the shelter, and I find that many cats love to play the belly rub game. By that, I mean they roll over, asking for a belly rub but as soon as I give them one, they chomp down on my arm. Usually this game is playful and rarely do I find a cat that really wants to hurt me. That was the case with Philetus, a silly big Russian Blue mix that had me laughing during our entire photo session. Imagine if cats could talk, now mix that with a little seduction and you would have Philetus. As soon as I set him into my photo area, he laid down, rolled onto his back and gave me 'the eyes'. If Philetus was a man, even Fabio would be jealous! I couldn't help but laugh at this silly boy as I snapped his photo. I know that whoever has the opportunity to bring him into their family is one lucky lady! 

I wouldn't be doing my job as a volunteer if I didn't mention the kittens and our need for fosters right now. I took a few minutes at the shelter to grab some photos of our many little kittens that are not quite old enough for adoption. Unfortunately, our kitten room is full to the brim and these little babies have to wait until they are old enough for spay/neuter to go out to their forever families. Kittens are fragile little ones and the shelter environment is no place to grow up. It can be especially hard on their little immune systems as upper respiratory problems are prevalent in any shelter. For me, the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter is my number one priority - and I would LOVE to see all of these little ones in a safe foster home while they grow old. Many of my clients and readers are not in the Austin area but I know that all shelters face the same issues and could use dedicated foster families! If you are looking for a super rewarding experience - foster some kittens! You won't regret it!

Stephanie Conrad
Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Here are a few of my favorite photos from yesterday!
Visit www.wilcopets.org for more information about these kitties!!