Dog's Tail Art Raises Thousands For Alexandria Shelter Pets

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A new artist has captured the attention of local art lovers selling 20 pieces of art in less than an hour at an auction. All it took has a little tail wagging, and the dog nicknamed Ricasso had a collection of masterpieces.

Rico, a dog staying at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria for 15 months, raised more than $4,000 to help shelter pets like him at the sold-out Dec. 6 event. His piece "Pinny in Technicolor," highlighting his favorite toy, sold for nearly $600.

"The value isn’t just in the painting but also knowing the journey the artist took during his time at the shelter," said one of the bidders.

Rico earned the nickname Ricasso when he brought out his creative side after a year at the shelter. Volunteers noticed his happy wagging tail might just be a tool to paint, and the rest is history.

As his 20 debut pieces went up on display at the shelter, visitors began asking how they could obtain a Ricasso original. That's when the idea to sell paintings to help other shelter pets came about.

Rico, a 6-year-old Staffordshire terrier, is splitting time between a foster home and the shelter. He's taking a break from painting after a successful debut and is focusing on training classes and exploring Alexandria. His next challenge is finding a forever home — or in his case, an artist's studio. A donor has prepaid his adoption fees. See Rico's adoption profile and information about the adoption process.