Yummy was inspired by one of our own family of adopted furry friends, our Shadow – We found him in a pretty rough state by the rubbish bins of our local commune just standing there staring us us with such an intense gaze, almost like he was reaching into our soul. He was a very striking big boy, but malnourished and visibly broken - what happened to him before we'll never know....we already had four dogs and two cats at the time and were not looking to increase our furry family, however we were both so struck by him that we had no hesitation, he was not going to go hungry that night, or any other.

He immediately became my husbands shadow, wherever Johnny was that's where he wanted to be, hence his name :) Shadow grew up to be the most beautiful dog, both inside and out, loyal and true, a real character with a sense of humour and always licking his lips on the look out for food – we were lucky enough to have him share our lives for over 11 years, what joy love and laughter he brought to us – a gentle and kind leader, he, as all our furry family have taught us much about life - this picture is his naughty nose, cheeky as ever, licking his lips – hope he brings a smile to your lives too. Thank you Shadow x

I will be donating 10% of all net profits on any of my paintings or products featuring cats and dogs directly to 'SOS Animais de Nelas' to help them in their endless quest to save, care for, love and give these beautiful creatures a life they deserve.

A little bit about SOS Animais de Nelas:

SOS are a small group of wonderful souls we came to know when we lived in Portugal. A few like minded individuals who have hearts full of love for animals and came together in 2014 to help the local strays and animals that have been abandoned or mistreated – often many dogs are tied up 24 hours a day on short chains with little food or water – or turned out on to the streets when they are no longer cute puppies or kittens. They currently have around 50 residents and have helped over 700 souls since they began.

This group work tirelessly giving their love and time, to help these animals with the care and veterinary assistance they need. They find loving homes for as many as they can and have a programme for sterilization and do their best to educate the people on how to humanely care for the animals they have – truly lovely humans who do their best to help those who don't have a voice, they have many hurdles to overcome everyday and are in constant need of food, blankets, medical supplies and of course money..

If you can help in any way, with a donation, re homing, volunteering, spreading the word or would simply like to know more about this amazing little group who work endlessly with love in their hearts to help these wonderful creatures Please visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sos.animaisdenelas

SOS Animais de Nelas are a non profit organization based in Nelas Portugal.

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