This one-eared-dog, Van Gogh, is stealing hearts with his unique paintings

The animal rescue industry is a very difficult one to crack. Often, rescuers have to come up with very creative hacks to garner donations for their furry rescues. This clever hack will definitely melt your heart. It all began when a 7-year-old boxer-pitbull mix was found hiding in a sewer pipe in North Carolina. The dog was a stray that was taken from the streets and used in illegal dog-fighting. The poor doggo lost one of his ears by the time he managed to flee, but Jacklyn Gartner, from Happily Furever After Rescue in Connecticut, found him and named him Van Gogh. When the pup didn't find any interest in getting adopted, Gartner found a cool new way to get him that adoption. “He was used for bait and if people don’t know, that means he was thrown in and [they] let dogs attack him. And still, after everything he’s endured, he loves people. It just shows how resilient these rescue dogs are and how amazing they are to anyone who adopts them,” Gartner told CBS.

She pulled out some acrylic paints and a small canvas, put everything inside a large zip-top bag, and spread peanut butter all over the bag's exterior. Sticking true to his name, the dog began to lick the peanut butter off, making his very own abstract masterpiece!

The rescue planned a gallery viewing at the home of Van Gogh's foster family once he had finished ten masterpieces. But the world was not ready for this sweetheart's art. “Van Gogh was so excited for his big art debut over the weekend… he was all decked out in his Starry Night bandana and waited patiently on the deck for his guests to arrive… but only two people showed,” the rescue wrote on Facebook. “Van Gogh put many hours and a lot of love into creating such beautiful art and we worked so hard to make this a special event.”

That's when something extraordinary happened. Van Gogh's tragic tale was published by the shelter on its social media channels and it quickly gained popularity. Soon, the canine artist was receiving requests from clients for commissioned pieces. He had thousands of people waiting in line to purchase his paintings, which he sold for roughly $40 each. "Our one-eared prodigy has been busy in the "studio" creating beautiful paintings for his first ONLINE SILENT ART AUCTION, which begins TOMORROW! All funds raised will directly benefit Happily Furever After Rescue and help support our lifesaving work. There's something for all to enjoy!" the shelter wrote on their post.

The rescue and all other dogs who come after him will benefit from every penny of the sales. Most significantly, adoption applications are now being submitted for this very unique boy! “He’s so talented. I’m not surprised because he can do anything,” Gartner said about Van Gogh’s impressive art. “He’s seven years old so, he’s done with that puppyhood. He’s really relaxed. He’s well-mannered. He just wants to be with his person. He’s perfectly content just sleeping in his bed, and going on leisurely walks, that’s really all he needs. He’s really low maintenance,” Gartner added, asking people to adopt the young furry boy.

“The shelters are flooding right now. We need help. We need fosters. We need people adopting and just giving that chance to help an animal in need. Don’t overlook the ones that might be more challenging,” said Gartner.