My dog, Ted, was the inspiration of my art. I acquired Ted 3 1/2 years ago from a man with cancer who could no longer take care of him anymore. Ted himself had cancer and was a 3-legged dog. He was the happiest dog. Nothing could bring Ted down. He was always at my side and knew when I was in severe pain. I had 5 back surgeries, the most recent being in 2000. It is then that I learned that the pain from the surgery would not go away. Two years later I was diagnosed with CRPS (RSD). I have been through many different types of treatments to lessen the pain. I decided to volunteer at the local animal shelter to take my mind off of the pain and took pictures of the dogs and cats to be posted to a website. I then discovered my artistic side and turn the pictures into art. Ted passed away about 6 months ago and my life will never be the same. I have a 16x20 canvas in my room of the pink art as a reminder of how much an inspiration Ted was in my life.