Art exhibit for dogs

DOGS have been preserved in art in illustrations dating back to the Bronze Age, cementing the animal’s status as man’s favorite companion. Some of the world’s most famous paintings just aren’t complete without dogs — think Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Wedding, with a pooch just by the female figure’s skirt; and who can forget Dogs Playing Poker? More poignantly, there’s a statue of Hachiko in Japan, a memorial for the loyal Akita who waited for his master Hidesaburo Ueno at the train station long after Mr. Ueno’s death.

From March 30 to April 6, Hound Haven Philippines, Inc. is holding Pawcasso: Art for Dogs, a benefit art exhibit for its eighth anniversary. Hound Haven is the first and only non-profit organization and animal shelter in the Philippines dedicated to the rehabilitation and rehoming of retired military working dogs (MWDs) and contract working dogs (CWDs). The exhibit is currently open to the public at the Gimenez Gallery, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.

The exhibit is in collaboration with members and friends of the Paete Artists Guild — the small town in Laguna is known for its thriving art scene, especially with regard to its woodcarving expertise (the town’s name is said to come from the Filipino word for chisel: paet). The town has produced some names known to the nation and the world: painter Manuel Baldemor, sculptor Mariano Madriñan (famous for a religious statue of the Mater Dolorosa exhibited at the International Exposition held in Amsterdam in 1882), and his grandson, fellow sculptor Froilan T. Madriñan, one of the founders of the UP Artists Circle Fraternity of the UP College of Fine Arts.

Pawcasso has 25 participating artists, with familiar names in Laguna and the Philippine art scene: there are works by Felix Baldemor with recall to the traditional religious figures that come out of Paete, but decidedly more modern ones like Fhiex Orozco’s The Hero Dog Kabang (the dog who rescued two children from a vehicular crash, damaging her nose and jaw in the process), made out of spoons. Kharmela Baldemor, of the same family, made a series of wood sculptures about the womb, but also an especially charming one resembling a traditional Madonna and Child — except in this one, Our Lady is more modern and is locked in an embrace with a dog. The art available isn’t exclusively centered around dogs: Christine Cagandahan (another old Paete last name) did a series of flowers in epoxy steel and canvas, while Menchie Vitente made an abstract of a rainbow dripping down a canvas to end in a wave of gold leaf.

“It’s something we’ve never done before,” said Maxin Arcebal Isidro, chief executive officer and co-founder of Hound Haven. “One of my co-founders (Corporate Secretary Jerome Arcebal) is an art collector.” Mr. Arcebal’s connection to the Paete Artists Guild through Love Bagacina and Otep Bañez became a call for artworks. “These artists were aware about Hound Haven. He knew that they were dog lovers,” she said. While some of the artists already had dog-themed and dog-related art in stock, some of them made new pieces for Pawcasso.

HOUND HELP
While 60% of the sales go to the artists, 40% of the sales go towards Hound Haven’s programs. “40% will help us with our K-9 rehabilitation programs. When the K-9’s are turned over to Hound Haven, some of them are very old. They have medical conditions; they have health challenges. Some even have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).” Recently, the Commission on Audit came out with a circular that required K-9 units in government service to be retired at eight years old, and to be adopted out, either by their handlers or by private organizations, individuals, and families following a list of guidelines — the idea for which came from Hound Haven’s partnership with the Philippine Army K-9 Battalion, according to Ms. Arcebal Isidro. “The goal is to eventually match them with families in forever homes: just to give them a new kind of life — this time as members of a family,” she said.

Ms. Arcebal Isidro told us success stories of former Hound Haven residents: there’s Tootsie, an ex-explosive detection dog, who was introduced to them as possibly aggressive and unpredictable. “When we started working with him, he just turned out to be such a big baby,” she said. Tootsie came to be adopted by a family who had just lost their own dog: “They fell in love with Tootsie, and they made it work.” She pointed out that Tootsie was very happy — he attended Pawcasso’s opening with his new family. Then there’s Fyt, a sweetheart from the very beginning, who was introduced to UP Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa. Fyt passed away a few years ago, but not before becoming a pioneer member of UP Diliman’s Emotional Support Animal program.

“Art evokes emotions and feelings,” said Ms. Arcebal Isidro, relating art to the dogs they care for. “To be able to feel like that, you have to love something enough — even when that something won’t give you anything monetary, or anything tangible in return.”

“When you love dogs, it’s knowing that their presence is enough. I think it takes a certain kind of person to love a dog — and also a certain kind of person to create art, out of all those feelings that you get from loving beyond language.” Or in this case: “Beyond species.”

Other activities at Pawcasso include discounted pet portrait sessions with Paws&Click (@pawsandclickstudio) on April 5 (register at ), and a meet-and-greet with some of Hound Haven’s adoptable retired K-9s, brought by pet transport provider Joyful Pet Transport (@joyfulpettransport). Dog-related treats and merchandise are also available from YPF Grooming Studio(@ypfgroomingstudio), Happy Life Organics (@happylifeorganics), Pet Lovers Centre (@petloverscentreph), Biyaya Animal Care (@biyayaanimalcare), Little Lion Treats (@littleliontreats), and Twin Lakes Hotel Tagaytay (@twinlakeshotel). Learn more about Hound Haven through Facebook (fb.com/houndhavenph), Instagram (@houndhavenph), and on www.houndhavenph.org. — Joseph L. Garcia