Keira Chen’s portrait of Mikey, who is currently in foster care (courtesy of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue)
Keira Chen paints an owl witnessing deforestation at the New York School of Art in Vienna (Courtesy of Keira Chen)
Portraits of Keira Chen’s rescue pets (provided by Keira Chen)
Keira Chen’s flower portrait side by side with her photo (Courtesy of Keira Chen)
Keira Chen’s portrait of Carlton juxtaposed with his photo (courtesy of Keira Chen)
A local teenage artist is lending a helping hand to pets at an Arlington shelter with kindness and painting.
Kyra Chen, 17, is a volunteer artist at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, located at 5159 Langston Blvd. Woodson High School students have been creating portraits of the shelter’s native dogs and cats since the summer of 2023, all the while advocating for their adoption through social media.
All portrait subjects are considered “extended resident” animals, meaning they have been at Lucky Dog for at least five months.
“The point is to highlight dogs that are usually overlooked,” Chen told ARLnow. “I think a lot of times when people come into a shelter, they’re immediately drawn to a puppy or a certain breed of dog.”
So far, at least two animals with portraits have been adopted, and their new owners have taken Chen’s work home as a gift.
“It’s great to see young people taking an interest in and investing in local animals. It means a lot to us,” said Emily Jachtman, Lucky Dog’s communications manager. said. “Everyone’s voice can make a difference and we are so grateful to Keira for using her voice to advocate for our long-term animals.”
Lucky Dog’s Arlington location has 90 cats and 62 dogs, including three cats and five dogs who have been there for more than five months. Two of the dogs, Buddy and Mikey, have been in our rescue for over three years.
Chen became interested in animal welfare after visiting a California shelter where most of the animals were euthanized.
“When you see how the dogs are being treated, they’re forced into small, cramped spaces, crowded, you can tell they’re not being cared for and they had eye infections. really wants to do something about it,” Chen said.
Adoption wasn’t an option for Chen, so she started making portraits of Lucky Dog in 2023. She is currently an AP Drawing student taking advanced portfolio classes at the New York School of the Arts in Vienna.
Chen said that he has always been drawn to works that feature animals as subject matter.
“You can really see the joy radiating off of them and the love in their eyes. You can see them smiling and you can see their tails wagging,” she said. “I’m really trying to capture that because I think it’s really indicative of more than breed or age.”
Chen plans to study bioengineering in the future, and in the meantime, she hopes to continue raising awareness for Lucky Dog’s furry residents.
“All of us at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue are so grateful to Keira for shining a spotlight on our long-term resident dogs and cats,” Jachtman said. “This is truly a community effort to find a forever home for these hidden gems, and we are grateful to amazing artists and animal rights activists like Keira for helping us spread the word. ”
Katie Taranto is a reporter for Local News Now, primarily covering business, public safety and the city of Falls Church. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2024 and previously covered K-12 education for the Columbia Missourian. She is from Macungie, Pennsylvania.
