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No barking or meowing from canvas creatures artist installs on walls. No vet, food bills, either
By Connie Bloom
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
If your heart says yes but your watery eyes and itching throat say no, Louise Udovich has the pet for you.
She calls them Perfect Pets because nothing goes in, and as a happy result, nothing comes out — not to mention none of those pesky allergy symptoms cats and dogs are wont to trigger.
Udovich, an allergic cat lover herself, cleverly employed a trompe l'oeil approach to the problem. Her spacious residence in Portage Lakes is home to two cats, but they're both illusions. Udovich painted them in acrylics on canvas, cut them out and pasted them to the wall, down by the floor where a cat would actually be.
The eye sees a cat strolling through the house. The heart pitter-patters. What's not to like?
Perfect Pets evolved from Udovich's mural business, which took hold in 2006, when home writer Mary Beth Breckenridge wrote about the marvelous animal-studded landscapes she painted throughout her home — a jungle in her laundry room and a beach scene in a bathroom, among them.
After that, it seemed like everybody wanted one. But Udovich wasn't happy staring at other people's walls when she could be making art in her studio — and it's not just any studio.
''This place was made to paint,'' Udovich said of the spacious sunroom overlooking a deck, a gaggle of geese and a picturesque inlet to Turkeyfoot Lake.
She has everything she needs at her fingertips — paints, brushes, inspiration — and has turned her attention, at least for the moment, to portraits of pets she creates from photographs, books or Internet resources. She paints them on gessoed canvas, cuts them out, rolls them up and mails them or drops by and installs them.
They cost much less than a mural, starting at about $100, and anybody can apply them to the wall with a double thickness of wallpaper paste. Best yet, if you move, your canvas creatures can go with you.
''People love these,'' she said. ''You know how they are about pets — they cry when they get them. . . . Of all the things I have done, I have found out people are the most passionate about their pets. . . . They are especially enjoyed by people like myself who have pet allergies or can't provide the care or afford the high cost of a pet these days.''
Udovich said she has had some unique requests, such as the Rottweiler she painted for a client who needed a guard dog. The painted beast can be seen through her windows.
Udovich's number is 330-245-6689.
Low-cost alterations
No more excuses.
People who struggle to cover the cost of veterinary care will find altering their pets has become eminently affordable at the recently opened Akron facility, One of a Kind Pet Spay and Neuter Clinic at 1700 W. Exchange St., 330-865-6890.
Altering your pet has become a moral imperative; some 4 million to 6 million adoptable animals are euthanized because of overpopulation every year, according to Sarah Aitken, director of clinic operations.
Cats cost $30-$45 each. Dogs are $45-$65 for under 50 pounds and $60-$80 for over 50 pounds.
People with feral or unowned cats can get a spay-neuter package that includes vital shots, flea medicine and ear tipping for $45. Ears are tipped so that cats released back in the neighborhoods can be identified as having been fixed.
Poetic license
Dog license renewals are tragically uninteresting, but Medina Auditor Michael E. Kovack kicked it up a notch. He runs a friendly competition called the Top Dog Contest to coincide with online registrations (http://www.medinacountyauditor.org), which continue for $12 per dog through Jan. 31.
''Unless you have the heartbreak of losing a pet, you may not realize the importance of the dog tag,'' he said. The county posts dog tag numbers along with owner phone numbers (and nothing else) so dogs on the lam can be quickly identified and returned to their families. The public can also upload descriptions and photos of lost and found pets to this central location.
Meanwhile, literally hundreds of fourth-graders honed their composition skills writing essays about why their dogs were best in the county.
The 2008 winners: Claire Provagna, a home schooler, who won first place for rhapsodizing about her dog, Jiggs. An excerpt: ''My dog snores when he sleeps in my bed. One time he had a bad dream. I knew it because he was making doggy whimpers. I had to wake him up so I myself could get to sleep.''
Second place went to Tyler Koval of Blake Elementary, who talked about a ''Golden retiver'' named Phoebe. ''She was a rescue dog. She saved many peoples lifes,'' wrote Tyler.
Third place went to Samuel Michael Vavzincak of St. Francis Xavier School, for snitching on Artie. ''He has very sharp teeth. He's very fat. He has lots of hair. He's a Cavalier King Charles.''
Good job, kids.
Meanwhile, Akron's dog license renewal ($8) also continues through Jan. 31 at http://www.co.summit.oh.us/fiscaloffice/pdfs/dog_agency.pdf. Licenses are sold throughout the year at various pet food stores and shelters. Better late than never, but tardiness will cost $8 more.
Stolen sign
Thugs stole the farm sign for Y-NOT LLAMAS in Norton this week. The sign was a present from the four daughters of Toni and Jerry Longville, the doting parents of a dozen llamas and assorted rescued goats, cats and dogs. Call them at 330-658-4433.
Connie Bloom can be reached at 330-996-3568 or cbloom@ thebeaconjournal.com.
If your heart says yes but your watery eyes and itching throat say no, Louise Udovich has the pet for you.
Get the full article here.
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