This dog's paintings sold for $4,000, Animal welfare named him Ricasso

A dog at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) has taken over the internet after raising over $4,000, thanks to his painting skills. A six-year-old Staffordshire terrier, Rico has been reportedly living at the AWLA for the past 15 months and in the fall of 2019, he produced 20 pieces of art as part of his debut collection. The paintings were later displayed throughout AWLA's halls. While talking to an international media outlet, a spokesperson from AWLA said that the dog came to them as 'Rico' but when his talent was recognised, the organisation named him 'Ricasso'.

According to reports, Ricasso's painting got famous and visitors soon started asking how they could own a 'Ricasso Original'. The AWLA auctioned the pieces to give other animals the chances that Rico had been given and to help more dogs and cats find families of their own, added that spokesperson. The volunteers also held a sold-out event where attendees met Ricasso before bidding on his art. The AWLA reported that in less than an hour, all 20 pieces had been sold and Ricasso raised more than $4,000 for the organisation. The spokesperson from the organisation said that the dog's iconic piece 'Pinny in Technicolor' was sold for approximately $600, and became the pinnacle of the event. 

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Woman successfully teaches her dog how to talk

While this dog can paint, there is another dog who can speak. A Catahoula and Blue Heeler mix dog has been learning how to talk from her owner and has already learned 29 different words. Stella, the 18-month-old has been reportedly training with her owner, Christina Hunger and learning how to talk with the help of a soundboard. The California resident started using the technology when the dog was just eight weeks old and has been keeping track of her pet's progress on Instagram and her blog, 'Hunger for Words'.

Hunger in an Instagram post said, “Stella adapts her message when she isn’t feeling understood, just like we all do! If someone doesn’t understand us or we don’t get the response we were expecting, we change the words we’re using to explain ourselves better.” 

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