Congratulations to Whitney Will for winning a Pet Portrait!

Even a worldwide pandemic doesn't stop the need to help out local animal shelters, nor the indomitable spirit of love and giving that goes hand in hand with the pure love a pet returns to caring arms!!!

Portraits by ShawnaLee is proud to congratulate Whitney Will for winning the New Fairfield Sherman Animal Welfare Calendar contest! Whitney won a Gift Certificate donated by Portraits by ShawnaLee towards a portrait of her two kitties, Fury and Stitch!!!! The 11 x 14" Charcoal Pet Portrait, hand drawn by ShawnaLee W. Kwashnak, shows Fury and Stitch smiling, as kitties do when they are loved and feel safe!

Whitney Wills of Patter Paws Animal Hospital shares her story of how she adopted the beautiful kitties:

"I am a veterinarian so he (Stitch) came in when I was working one morning as a 4 month old kitten. He got caught up in a domestic violence dispute and had a dislocated elbow and a broken femur. The owners didn't have money for the x-rays and opted for euthanasia. He was so sweet during entire exam, so I wasn't comfortable with that, instead I had them sign him over to me so at least I knew weather euthanasia was appropriate or not. I brought him home, we replaced his elbow, which unfortunately is going to ultimately have horrible arthritis, and we did surgery to remove part of his femur to remove any pain. He is doing great now. He let's the kids pick him up. Every night he crawls up on my chest to watch TV with me. He's a really special cat, and I've known many. Fury is the little orange on. He also came in but as a 6 week old kitten with a horrible eye infection which eventually led to rupture of the eyeball which is why we had to remove it. He has cerebellar hyperplasia which is why he tremors all the time and his balance is not good, he falls over a lot. He is sweet and he and stitch do play together and chase each other every night. He is a but if a menace, sometimes bites our ankles, and always hungry. For obvious reasons both are indoor only. I know it is long winded but that is there stories. We waited a long time to actually bring cats home. We have always had dogs but it took meeting these particular cats to make me want to deal with a litter box again. The whole family just loves them!!" Whitney Wills

NFSAW's mission is to offer refuge, medical care, and the opportunity for a second chance for life to needy dogs and cats; to protect animals from cruelty or neglect; to foster a public sentiment of humanity and gentleness toward all living creatures; to encourage and promote responsible pet ownership; and to reduce companion animal overpopulation through humane education and

spay/neuter advocacy.

About Patter Paws Animal Hospital: Our task is to provide excellent quality, compassionate care, and life-long health for your pet. We look forward to welcoming you and your four legged friends to our animal family. We have an exceptional staff of talented doctors and support technicians with particular interests in all aspects of animal care. Our family-oriented staff is committed to providing you with state of the art veterinary care while maintaining an atmosphere of respect, support, and continued education.We offer a complete range of veterinary services including: examinations, wellness screenings, vaccinations, diagnostic testing, hospitalizations, surgery, dental services, dietary consultations, geriatric medicine, and acupuncture services. Our primary goal is the overall health of your pets and piece of mind that you are doing everything that you can to extend their healthy and happy years with your family.

Portraits by ShawnaLee offers quality traditionally hand drawn or painted portraits that capture the sweet spirit and essence of her subjects, including pets, children or landscapes. ShawnaLee loves working with historic art materials such as Charcoals, Graphite or Oils. Her award winning work is collected around the world and has been featured on several news stations including Lauren's Crazy Pet Show. ShawnaLee is a huge supporter of local animal welfare, has an art studio full of doting pets (art critics, really!) and teaches art lessons privately and through local organizations. For more information, please "Like" her Facebook page: "Portraits by ShawnaLee" or visit www.shawnalee.com

To contact the artist: artistshawnalee@gmail.com