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VIDEO: Meet Ollie, a four-legged Jackson Pollock

Maple Ridge border collie has a knack for painting
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Lindsey Pronk never imagined she’d be training her border collie to hold a paint brush – but Ollie isn’t your average dog.

The high-energy three-year-old purebred can jump on Pronk’s back and flush a toilet.

Pronk said she struggled through the seemingly “never-ending” winter to find ways to tire out Ollie and his younger brother, Bo, around their home in Maple Ridge.

She got the idea to teach her four-legged friend how to paint after looking at the work of other dogs on YouTube, whose owners were selling their paintings online.

When she was told there’d be a two-month wait to get her hands on a piece: “I thought I’d pick up the supplies and teach him myself.”

Pronk created a special handle for Ollie, so he can hold the paint brush in his mouth comfortably. Since March, he’s painted about 30 pieces.

Each painting sells for $50 each, with $10 from each going to the local SPCA. Each one includes a few photos of Ollie actually painting the photo, perhaps similar to a certificate of authenticity.

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Despite the new-found trick becoming more and more like a job for the pet, Pronk said it’s up to him if he wants to pick up the brush.

“We’re trying to keep it fun and not stressful for him,” Pronk said. “At the end of the day, he’s a dog, so sometimes he wants to do it and other times he wants to be a dog and chew his bone.”


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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