Suzie on the Bergere

Suzie was a little mixed-breed dog that we fostered for two months. It was thought that she was pregnant, but it turned out to be a false alert. She was a breeder from a puppy mill, but was surrendered to my local dog shelter because her litters were too small in number. In a puppy mill, a female dog is considered old when her litters become small. This actually means that she does not bring in enough money from the sale of her pups. These dogs rarely reach six years of age and are usually killed off at the mill if a rescue shelter doesn’t take them in. The really sad thing about Suzie’s life is that we suspect she was someone’s pet before ending up at a puppy mill. She could understand the basic commands, was easy to house train, was not afraid of a leash and enjoyed her walks. She was so affectionate.

Being a dog lover and fostering rescued dogs makes you want to adopt each and every one of them, but some dogs stay in your heart and Suzie was one of them. I painted her sitting on a soft turquoise Bergere chair. The bright wallpaper with flowers and butterflies symbolizes Suzie’s extremely sweet, gentle and sensitive disposition. She was adopted by an equally sweet, gentle and sensitive lady who had recently become a widow.