Fuzzi - Commissionned Portrait

This new commission is about a special little girl named Fuzzi. A little Bichon Frisé with a fabulous personality that left a big void when she passed away last December.

I first met Fuzzi last summer when my client Carol came to my studio to pick up the portrait of her beloved Pomeranian Beauty. Accompanying her was a little white, curly and rotund dog wearing pink and sparkles. Very friendly and eager to come in, she made her entrance as if she was meeting the press and paparazzi at the Oscar red carpet. In no time at all, we were on the floor competing for her attention and rubbing her belly. Carol was one of three foster moms from Happy Tails Rescue sharing in the care of Fuzzi. Being bigger than life, Carol explained that Fuzzi required three people to keep up with her. Fuzzi had been welcomed into H.T.R. with the grim diagnosis of just a few months to live. She went on to live six more remarkable years, amassing a tremendous amount of fans along the way. She became the Happy Tails Rescue mascot, a real testimonial to the quality of care she received from her foster moms.

Fuzzi’s Story

As a rescue group, we often get phone calls from shelters when they have dogs that have special requirements for care or need help in getting homes that will meet their needs.
One day about six years ago, we took a call from a shelter that told us that they had a senior Bichon who had been surrendered with large mammary tumors that they had removed. It turned out that these tumors were a particularly nasty form of cancer and that this little girl probably didn’t have much longer to live. She had demonstrated a lovely personality and the shelter workers were trying to find her a safe, caring space to finish her days. One of our members rushed down to bring home the palliative care dog that was in need of a friend.
As the months went by our little cancer patient Fuzzi blossomed under the loving care of her

foster mom. She turned from a skinny, scruffy-looking little dog with a really bad haircut into a dog with a vivacious personality larger than her diminutive body. She stole the hearts of those around her and her foster mom Judy Keep couldn’t resist the urge to adopt her, and shoulder the costs of her medical care in return for the honour of being the owner of this lively girl. Fuzzi quickly became the mascot and canine ambassador for our Happy Tails Rescue group Fuzzi did not sicken and die as her prognosis predicted. For almost three years Fuzzi had grown in beauty and strength and has become a bit of a small-town celebrity and a big city diva. She joyfully made her television debut when she accompanied the rescue group members to a Toronto TV show where they were able to showcase their role in finding homeless small breeds dog’s new homes.

Fuzzi’s attraction for the limelight made her a natural as a model of dog-clothing business supporting the rescue group’s efforts. Fuzzi was ecstatic when she got the chance to strut her stuff as a plus size doggie clothing model on the runway with a human model in tow at Toronto’s Woofstock event. Everyone looking at her and admiring her almost proved too much for our star-struck beauty. Her handler had to exert a great deal of effort to restrain her from leaping back onto the stage platform after her turn was over!!!!! Fuzzi also demonstrated her community-mindedness at Woofstock by appearing in the Princess Margaret Hospital’s booth, soliciting donations to be used for cancer research.
In the Fall of 2006, the tumors returned to Fuzzi’s rotund little body. She had another round of surgery to remove the newest set of tumors and received chemotherapy, which continued to stave off the growth and spread of the disease. Fuzzi still actively loved life, adored being the centre of attention, and had no plans of her own to leave her owner or those that loved her behind. Our vain little miss still would dance with joy when seeing a new doggie outfit coming her way.

Fuzzi would keep busy by accompanying the rescue group members to the homes of potential adopters of dogs from the Happy Tails Rescue when working to determine if they had a suitable adoptive home for one of their homeless pups.
Fuzzi was an example of how wonderful life can be with a dog with a questionable future. We cherish every moment that we had with her and she certainly lived life to its fullest. We feel so lucky that she found us!!!

Fuzzi had another round of chemo in early 2010 but succumbed on December 4, 2010 to the cancer, which had infiltrated her lungs. We were blessed with six years of pure joy with this little trooper.

Join the Fuzzi fan club and follow me on her portrait journey. You'll learn more about Fuzzi as the painting progresses.