An Act of Dog artist Mark Barone describes his haunting, expressive, and evocative collection of dog portraits as “Art to stir the conscience of our nation for the emergence of a compassionate generation.”
Barone embarked on his project of painting 5,500 euthanized dogs — representing the 5,500 killed each day in shelters — after learning of the abominable number of homeless companion animals put to sleep daily. He immersed himself into creating a memorial by painting ten dogs a day, seven days a week, and often twelve or more hours per day. The magnificent result is an imposing, impressive, and emotionally charged collection.

Portrait of Oreo,
Courtesy Mark Barone
Each portrait is an emotional labor of love involving intense reflection on the canine’s face and on his/her tragic story to capture each dog’s soul. Most of the paintings are 12 inches by 12 inches. Some dogs whose experiences affected Barone the most are 8 feet by 8 feet, including a portrait of his dog Santina. She’s the gatekeeper of the collection, and he credits her for allowing him to find his calling.
The “An Act Of Dog” concept was born in 2011 when Santina died at 22 years old. His partner, Marina Dervan, began searching online for a new dog to help heal their broken hearts. Her research led her to the discovery of the devastating euthanasia statistics in our country. Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 and cats). Dervan began to send emails to Barone about all the senseless deaths of healthy and adoptable canines. Despite Barone’s continued pleas to her to stop sharing the heart wrenching articles, Dervan persisted. She knew she needed his help to devise a plan to help the innocent animals murdered simply because there is nowhere to place them. She told him that the situation would not improve if everyone ignored it because it’s too sad to think about.
Barone has been painting for 35 years and holds a Master’s of Fine Art. After much consideration, he decided the best way to increase awareness of the deplorable reality would be to paint euthanized dogs to show people their faces and to illustrate how enormous the number of daily deaths is. The compassionate duo quit their respective jobs and sold their retirement funds to begin their noble, all-consuming, and life-altering project.
Each painting memorializes a dog that deserved to live. One is of a dog named Oreo who was thrown off a 6-story roof. Oreo’s horrible story was covered in the media, and many people offered to adopt her after her surgery. Surgery was performed on her and then the shelter deemed her aggressive and killed her despite the numerous offers. Barone’s paintings of actual photos of Oreo at the “shelter” show that she was not aggressive, but a sweet girl rolling on her back for belly rubs.
Another tragic story is that of a senior dog named Batman. He was left outside overnight at a shelter and found frozen to death in the morning.
Lennox, the family dog in Dublin, Ireland who was sentenced to death in 2012 because he looked like a pit bull, is yet another tragic story captured by Barone An international appeal to return him to his family was launched soon after he was confiscated. Despite the public outcry, Lennox was murdered.
Each of the paintings tells a devastating story of an innocent dog that wanted nothing but love and was put to sleep because there was nowhere to put him/her. Some of the dogs in the collection weren’t even named. They were only assigned a number. Dervan named them to give them personal identities.
The collection of paintings is larger than the Sistine Chapel and, unlike Michelangelo who had helpers, Barone worked alone, painting most of the day, every day, to immortalize each dog’s spirit.
The objective of An Act of Dog is to raise funds for the creation of no-kill shelters, rescue organizations, spay and neuter programs, dog rehabilitation groups, and marketing campaigns to save homeless animals. An Act of Dog also seeks to bring awareness of puppy mills, dog fighting, abuse, animal testing, shelter negligence, breed specific legislation (BSL), aggression tests, killing for space — and even cats. Rescue legislation clearly needs to be changed to give dogs more than 72 hours to be claimed before they are destroyed. Barone painted eleven 8-by-8 foot paintings depicting each of those horrific injustices.
Many people are aware that our animal shelter system is not working. The kill numbers are astronomical. These beautiful portraits make the victims real. They aren’t faceless casualties, but adorable beings that deserved to play and cuddle for years.
Barone has been visiting schools to foster empathy in children and to teach them the power of art. Art can illustrate compassion and teach people about important topics, leading to social change.
He notes that, “Artists have a powerful medium for reporting on the consciousness of our current civilization and can paint visual records of the unpalatable realities of our time. The aim is to move the viewer to feel those realities and engage them in a dialogue for change.”
The media has embraced this beautiful and laborious mission. People magazine, The Huffington Post, the UK’s Daily Mail, the LA Times, USA Today, MSN, ABC, and many other notable publications and programs have profiled An Act of Dog.
Barone’s Act of Dog fame enables him to effect change. He painted Mira, a sweet dog who was beaten to death by a sociopathic coward named Larry Meadows. Thousands of Act of Dog’s followers sent emails, and now Larry is going to trial.
Once the 5,500 dog portraits were completed, Barone and Dervan continued to pursue their goal of raising awareness of animal suffering and raising money for the permanent exhibit. Barone has been painting the eleven 8 foot X 8 foot paintings about other causes, creating fine art products (including adorable night lights), painting commissioned portraits, and making woodcut tee shirts.

Students working with An Act of Dog, Courtesy of Mark Barone
All of the stunning merchandise sold on the website raises funds for animals and for the Museum of Compassion, where the work is to be shown. Students will have an interactive working space at the museum and people from all over the world will be able to view the collection.
Please visit An Act Of Dog and share the site with friends.
I knew the abuse & murdering or innocent animals was bad, but I had no idea it was so horrific!
I knew the shortage of No kill shelters was bad, but I had no idea of the horrific abuse & murdering innocent animals was so utterly horrible!
CARE is a no kill shelter in Ruskin Florida. I just came across your statement and Art.
Is there any information, art that we could display at our Paws for a Cause Fiesta?
I love dogs so much and it is bad how they are getting treated
Would you be interested in illustrating a children’s fiction book that aims to encourage children to consider adopting adult dogs rather than buying puppies?
Being a street dog lover I am speechless
Anuj, thank you so much for getting the importance of this project. 🙂
You know what people we can raise our voices on behalf of them… They are the best thing in the world.. Our animal friends.. God gave us many abilities…because we can care for those cute creatures. So I think it’s just not a kind activity it’s a responsibility that god gave us…. I appreciate your work kind man …appreciation is not enough for that .
Respect to you
Nethmini, thank you for caring so deeply for our voiceless friends and for appreciating my work for their salvation.
This number is truly alarming! Barone, thank you!!
Juliette, it is alarming and I thank you for caring about them all.
So many things need to be accomplished. First the laws in each State and municipality need to change to end puppy and kitten mills. Pet stores should only be allowed to carry animals from local animal shelters and SPCA’s and helping to adopt them out instead of selling animals from unlicensed breeders and puppy mills. I get that some people want to own “pure breeds” and pay a pretty penny to do so. The breeders supplying these purebreds need to be licensed to do so by local municipalities with laws ensuring the animals are well treated, etc.
Thank you for caring and raising awareness, Flavia. Thankfully, there are plenty of pure breed animal rescues to serve all needs.
There remains a long way to go so that the human being is worthy of being called “human”. Forgive us please, you, all 4 paws friends, cats & dogs, and all others, for all the violence you endured because of your “best friend”, the in-human being … Thank you for what you do, so that their memory lives, and consciousness awakens …
Catherine, you have a kind heart and understand the importance of fulfilling our role as humans. Somehow we have not lived up to being humanitarian and our consciousness sleeps as we take their lives away.
“Every bought dog stands on the grave of a shelter dog”.
Indeed. Thank you for caring, Scott.
tears in heaven for all the great dogs who are killed because of no homes .
Thanks for caring, John.
Beautiful paintings. Should photograph the collection and make calendars, cards. I foster rescued dogs until they find their furever family, homes. I do 10 at a time, would do more if allowed by the city. They are all such blessings and gave me purpose after my kids left the nest. Once I started, it is impossible to stop. Have to do my part to save as many as I can.
Tina, bless you for being in action and fostering these forgotten souls. You are making a big difference for so many of them and allowing rescue groups to pull more to safety and helping socialize them for their forever homes.
I know the number of dogs and cats that are euthanized yearly is staggering.Your beautiful portraits of these wonderful animals brought tears to my eyes.The portraits really bring it home when you see the beautiful expressions on their faces that you captured.Every stroke of your brush shows the love you have for these dogs.
I am an artist too and you make me proud that a fine human being like you is part of this group.
Suzanne, thank you for your thoughtful comments and for caring about the animals. I know you would enjoy seeing the kids create and how ignited they become as they see their art being used in a meaningful way.
What a beautiful Man, it makes a change from the confronting stories, I know the background is confronting (especially when you consider it is happening daily worldwide! He is an amazing artist, truly gifted. I hope he knows he will meet his dog in heaven.
Diane, I appreciate you for understanding the importance of this kind of artwork and for caring about our forgotten animal friends.
I have known for many years how many dogs are put to death. IT is shocking. Thanks to backyard breeders and puppy mills and people that think it is to cruel to neuter their male pup. Things are a little better than they were in the Eighties. At least there are more rescues but even now there are so many. It’s sad.
Barbara, thank you for caring!