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Complete with a specially designed paint brush and a red beret, Dagger, better know to his adoring fans as Dog-Vinci, is taking the art world by storm!
“He’ll push down on the brush and wiggle it on the canvas, and I’ll just let him be,” Dog-Vinvi’s mom, Yvonne Dagger told InsideEdition.com. After a few strokes of the brush dipped in non-toxic paint, the Lab will pause, indicating he wants Yvonne to put more paint on the brush, or to adjust the canvas “so he gets it in different places.”
Yvonne, a painter herself, noticed Dagger watching her intently as she painted her own canvases. One day she simply asked him, “do you want to paint?” His excited tail wag told her yes.
Unable to find a paintbrush he could easily hold, Yvonne constructed a custom holder using cardboard paper towel tubes and duct tape.
The 3-year old Labrador, once in training to become a service dog, was adopted by the Dagger family after being released from the training program early. Although not a working service dog, Dagger does give back to the community, with proceeds from the sale of his artwork supporting Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities.
Fans from as far as Seattle and even England have reached out in hopes of purchasing the Long Island dog’s paintings which sell for between $50 and $200 each. You can follow Dagger on Facebook right here.
“When Dagger paints, he’s so happy.” his artist mom said. “I truly believe this is where Dagger wants to be.”