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A grandmother paints a colorful canvas on a wooden easel in the backyard while a white Maltese lies on the patio. 23 / 32

Abuela Set Up Her Easel Outside. Copito Picked the Spot Right in Front.

AI imagemaltesepaintingbackyard

A wooden easel stands on the patio, holding a canvas bright with greens, pinks, and blues. Abuela Rosa sits low beside it in her floral apron and gray top, glasses on, dabbing the corner of the painting with a fine brush. Her concentration is total. Stretched out on the concrete in front of her, Copito lies with his paws forward and his chin up, gazing off to the side with the relaxed air of someone who has been through many of these art sessions. Around them, paint-stained rags, a palette full of color, potted plants, and a scattering of dry leaves fill the backyard corner.

Art supplies and pets can mix, but with some care. Many oil paints, solvents like turpentine or mineral spirits, and some pigments can be toxic if a dog licks them or chews a rag soaked in them. Water-based acrylics are generally less risky but still should not be eaten. Keep brushes, palettes, and cleaning jars out of reach, and close up solvent containers between uses. If a dog walks through wet paint, wipe the paws gently with soap and water rather than any solvent. If you think your dog has swallowed art materials, call your vet.

Copito might not have an artist's eye, but he does have a talent for being in exactly the right place. Maybe one day he will end up in one of Rosa's paintings, lounging in the corner just like this.

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A grandmother in a puffy jacket and knit cap shovels snow while a white Maltese bounds through a snowbank.Abuela Went Out to Shovel the Snow. Copito Went Out to Disappear in It.A grandmother in jeans and a floral apron walks a white Maltese on a leash down a dirt country road at sunset.The Sun Was Going Down on the Old Dirt Road, and Copito Was Leading the Way
A grandmother whittles a piece of wood on a porch, curled shavings in her lap, as a white Maltese watches closely.Abuela Was Carving Something Out of an Old Block of Wood. Copito Had to Know What.A grandmother kneeling on a patterned rug gently holds the raised paw of a white Maltese in her living room.Abuela Spent All Week Teaching Copito One Trick. Today He Finally Got It.A grandmother reads a folded newspaper while a white Maltese sleeps curled up on her floral apron.Abuela Opened the Morning Paper, but She Couldn't Turn the Page Without Waking HimA grandmother knits on a sofa while a white Maltese sits beside her tangled in loops of cream yarn.Abuela's Knitting Was Going Great. She Hadn't Looked to Her Left Yet.