TAMPA, Fla. — They call it the dog days of summer, but the question is, what can you do with your dog that doesn’t involve the heat and thunderstorms that consume Tampa Bay this time of year?
Casey Finestone came up with a creative idea for her dog, Bella, that soon turned into a successful business called Pawcasso.
“I started Pawcasso about a year ago. I actually made some art with Bella. We got some inspiration online during COVID, and we created a piece of art for our home,” said Finestone. “My mom saw that and wanted to do it for herself, but she didn’t have the supplies, so I put together an art kit and shipped it up to her in Massachusetts, and that’s where the idea came from.”
Finestone said many people might think paint plus pups equals mess, but that's not the case with this art project.
“So the humans and the pets make the art together. So what you do is you take the canvas, and you take the paint, and you put that on the canvas,” said Finestone. “Then you slide it into the plastic bag, so we have different bags for each size, so everything fits in the bag. Then you close that up, put the peanut butter on top, and then the dogs go and lick away, and it just creates these abstract patterns, and every single one is different.”
All the materials, from the paint to the canvas to the bag to the peanut butter, are provided in kits sold online, and customers have the freedom to choose the size and colors they want.
“We could do it inside, it's pretty mess-free. The only mess that happens is you might get a little bit of paint on your fingers, but overall, the dogs come out clean and unharmed,” said Finestone. “And it’s just a great way to have a lifetime keepsake from your pet, from your best friend, and to have that nice bonding activity with them, and to know that you are always going to have that memory with you.”
Finestone also goes out into the community, bringing Pawcasso to private and public events. This weekend, she’ll participate in Kava Culture’s Self-Care Sunday. Owner Danielle Duval said it’s nice to support a fellow woman-owned business.
“Not only do we want to serve our customers with good, tasty, sober drinks, but we also want to create community, and it all just gives back,” said Duval.
A percentage of every Pawcasso sold will be donated to the non-profit organization LoveyLoaves.
“So they focus on rehabbing, re-homing and facilitating adoptions for special needs pets,” said Finestone.
Finestone hopes to inspire anyone out there with an abstract business idea.
“Just go for your dreams and if it makes you happy, and it makes other people happy, then it will turn into something that you would have never imagined,” said Finestone.
Self-Care Sunday will take place at Kava Culture, 4820 S. Himes Avenue, South Tampa, from 12 to 5 p.m.
For more information on Pawcasso, click here.
For more information on LoveyLoaves go to www.LoveyLoaves.org.
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