Animal shelter raises $11,000 with 450 poorly drawn pets

Pasadena Humane recently raised over $11,000 to help animals by auctioning off intentionally silly drawings of pets. The fundraiser, which featured amateur artwork, was a big success!

The animal shelter asked people nationwide to donate and send in pictures of their pets – dogs, cats, even turtles! In exchange, volunteers at the shelter created portraits, and the quality varied wildly, from beautifully detailed to endearingly amateur. These quirky results quickly became popular online as people shared the portraits on social media.

I was so excited to hear Pasadena Humane was doing their ‘Pet Portraits’ event again! They actually tried it out during the pandemic, but this year it was HUGE. They got almost 450 photos submitted, and it was amazing – every single pet picture was matched with a staff member or volunteer who created a little portrait for them in a special art room they set up. It was such a cool idea!

Pasadena Humane raises $11,000 through “art”

The resulting portraits were a fun blend of silly, meme-like drawings and surprisingly well-done art. Some pet pictures showed incredible detail, while others featured wonky heads, oversized tongues, or bodies that looked like simple cartoons.

Although the fundraiser featured fun, silly artwork, it was all for a good cause. Pasadena Humane explained that every dollar donated helps provide medical attention and find new homes for animals. Because of this year’s success, they’re planning to make “poorly drawn pets” an annual event.