These puppies were beyond happy to be clean again after they were covered in latex paint

On Saturday night just as the tech team at KC Pet Project were closing, a desperate call came in. Four tiny puppies covered in latex paint were in dire need. The police who found them were answering a domestic violence call.

“The officers had been called for a domestic violence incident after a man came into someone’s home and said he was going to hurt puppies who were there,” Tori Fugate, communications director for the rescue, related. “When they arrived, he had already dumped a jug of latex paint all over the dogs.”

By the time animal control got the puppies to KC Pet Project the acrylic resin in the paint had already started to dry in thick layers. This made the process of getting the puppies a long and tedious one.

Everyone pitched in to help, and they had to shave the puppies' fur off to get rid of the paint. “There was no safe way to remove the paint without chemicals, so we ended up having to shave them,” Fugate said.

It took everyone's help to calm the wiggling puppies for four hours while staff worked to get them clean. Even after all the work, some paint remained on some of their heads. The pups were as exhausted as the staff when it was all over. “They were falling asleep near the end,” Fugate said. “They were so sweet and innocent.”

Four famous painters lent their names to the puppies when the work was finally finished: Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Banksy and Jackson Pollock.

The pups were fortunate that the paint did not do any lasting harm, and they were spayed and neutered in preparation for being adopted. Once the pups were ready, applications came in like a flood to adopt them. Now, less than a week later, only one still needs a home. “We got a ton of interest from people as soon as we posted about them online,” Fugate said. “They’re just your regular happy and playful puppies now, aside from looking a little more pink since their hair is still so short.”

What exactly started this whole ordeal is still unclear. What is known is that the perpetrator was arrested and will be charged under State law. “We’ve had animals come in who had been spray-painted or colored with markers, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Fugate said. “We’re finding it so difficult to understand what kind of person would do this. But we’re so thankful we could be here for them and get them into loving homes.”

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