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HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. -- Paul Atzmiller is a retired man living in Colorado who likes to draw on his spare time.
“Oh, it’s a relaxing time,” Atzmiller said. “Sometimes I will put on classical music. I’ve had no art training whatsoever.”
Atzmiller sits in his room, and draws under a desk lamp. However, he says he can only draw one thing.
“Animals,” Atzmiller said. “I tried drawing humans once and it looked like something from outer limits. It was gross. Anything with fur or feathers. But I mostly draw dogs now.”
Atzmiller said that back in 1998, one of his co-workers saw one of his animal drawings and asked if he would draw their dogs. That’s when the ‘I Will Draw your Dog’ fundraiser was born.
“Basically, you send me a picture of your dog, I draw a 9 by 12 inch black and white drawing of your dog, but I don’t ask for any payments,” Atzmiller said. “I just ask that you make a donation of any amount to any animal shelter or organization. I don’t even want to know if you donated or not. It’s all on the honor system.”
Atzmiller recently completed his 618th drawing, and said he has raised about $45,000 since he started in 1998.
If you would like to help with his fundraiser, you can email Atzmiller at p.atzmiller@msn.com.