A tail of abstract art

Courtesy KC Pet Project.

An art exhibit coming to the Crossroads district goes beyond humanism into abstract animal magnetism.

Dog and cats were the paint brushes, as they slipped and slid on canvas and wagged tails to bold effect.

They can be seen “working our butts off” at petproject.org or on Facebook at KCPetProject.

It started as fun videos, led to Christmas cards for supporters and is now artwork to raise money for a shelter with growing needs, said Brent Toellner, president of the Pet Project.

He reported Wednesday to the city council public safety committee.

The animal intake number last year for the city shelter the nonprofit operates went up to 9,855, he said.

That is a 16 percent increase from the year before, he reported, but the shelter still managed a 93 percent survival rate for dogs and cats, qualifying as a no-kill shelter.

Councilman John Sharp praised the operators for accomplishing that with a too-small and woefully outdated shelter that “is an embarrassment to the city.”

Sale of the artwork will be at KRZYZ Photo gallery at 1800 Locust St. on Feb 6 from 5 to 9 p.m., Toellner said.

The artists may be available for adoption, if not autographs.