Published: November 13, 2007 01:24 am      

LOCKPORT: Save A Pet fundraising art show begins Sunday

Market Street Art Center is going to the dogs — and cats.

Students from Lewiston-Porter Elementary School are having their artwork displayed at the center, 247 Market St. Pets are the subject of the art because the show is a fundraiser for Save A Pet of Niagara County. The show begins 1 p.m. Sunday, and there should be plenty to see.

“They’re wonderful, but there are a lot of them,” said Joe Buczkowski, the executive director of the art center. “There’s almost 100 pieces. But it’s going to be fun.”

Buczkowski said he really liked the pieces as he was hanging them up in preparation for the show. The students used a variety of different media, such as painting or drawing, but what Buczkowski enjoyed is how the pets were created on paper.

“These kids are just honest in what they do. No inhibition — it’s just, ‘You want me to draw a cat, I’m going to draw a cat and I’m going to do it my way.’ There are some very good pieces here,” he said.

The show began when a teacher at Lewiston-Porter wanted to teach her students about finding homes for cats and dogs, and about the responsibility of pet ownership. Save A Pet responded by sending pictures of their adoptable pets on a weekly basis. Each pet was displayed in the lobby of the school in a large display case with their name and a brief statement about them. The school also started collecting items such as leashes and cat litter.

Updates were sent when homes were found and the pictures were then moved to a case for the pets who had been adopted. An informational session about pet responsibility was being held at about the same time, and some of the teachers thought about holding an art show using these pets. The artwork wasn’t done during the regular class hours but was completed during sessions held before their first morning classes. Many students decided to contribute and most did more than one picture.

The Lew-Port art show was held in February 2007, and all of the proceeds went to Save A Pet. The show made about $900. Soon after, Save A Pet asked the center to host another show.

“They’ve already helped us,” said Chris Halvorson, president of Save A Pet. “After the show, we thought, ‘These pictures are too good to put away now.’ We called the Market Street center, and to our delight, they said they would show the work.”

Halvorson said the show will help draw a wider audience to what Save A Pet does. It also will help teach people about the problems of overpopulation and homelessness in pets. That, in the end, could be as good as donations, she said.

“The monetary result will be much less than the educational and public relations aspect,” Halvorson said. “We’re training them to be more enthusiastic pet owners.”

Founded in 1977, Save A Pet works to find homes for pets. They also provide help with spaying and neutering, and the entire staff is comprised of volunteers. Save A Pet is funded by donations and with some help from corporate sponsors.

Cats and dogs are given foster homes through the Save A Pet program. They stay until permanent homes are found, either through the “Pick a Pet” show or the “PetConnect” television program on LCTV. The “Pick a Pet” shows are usually on the third Saturday of each month at Lockport United Church of Christ, 98 East Ave., Lockport.

Save A Pet is a nonprofit organization and has no building or location. Information can be found by visiting the Web site, www.save-a-pet-niagara.com, or by calling 559-3020.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick

at 439-9222, ext. 6241.