FRANK Gallery hosts animal shelter discussion

Joanna Adruscavage, executive director of Paws4Ever, said open house events are typical for the Mebane no-kill pet shelter — but they have never hosted one at an art gallery before.

Paws4Ever will give an informal presentation tomorrow about their work at Chapel Hill’s FRANK Gallery Thursday to go along with the gallery’s current exhibit, ANIMALS: Forces of Nature.

“Paws4Ever exists in the Orange County community to save the dogs and cats that would otherwise be euthanized for lack of space in our local county shelters,” she said.

“Part of our mission is to save those lives and to allow the county shelters to have more space, so they can keep those animals longer.”

The art gallery will also host an event on August 1 with group K9 Kindness, an organization that educates children about animal bullying.

Thursday’s open house event will include a brief and informal presentation from the Paws4Ever representatives and a photography display of the animals at the shelter.

Nerys Levy, a member of the art gallery who helped organize the event, said FRANK decided to partner with an organization that focuses primarily on dogs and cats because people are more familiar with them.

“We look at all aspects of animals because that’s a way that people will probably understand why we need to respect the animals and give them dignity,” Levy said.

“People have a hard time if they’re not familiar with that particular animal, but if they know dogs and cats, they can emphasize more.”

Levy also said she hopes people will learn more about the shelter and the responsibility humans have to animals.

“Our job is to educate as well as produce art,” she said. “So hopefully the educational part will kick in (at the event).”

Sudie Rakusin, another member of the gallery who also helped plan the event, said Paws4Ever is unique because they work with the animals to make them adoptable.

“Say if a dog has a fear around food — like he or she won’t eat food when another dog is around — they train that out of him,” Rakusin said. “They work the dog or the cat, so there is a better chance of having them adopted.”

Rakusin also said that she hopes people will learn that adopting a rescued or older animal is not as intimidating as it seems.

“Most people that don’t want to adopt a rescued animal are afraid of the baggage that they carry with them,” she said.

“What Paws4Ever will encourage, or maybe take that notion away, is that these animals that they rescue have been fostered and they are just as wonderful as say animals from a breeder — and that’s something we hope we can encourage.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.