Local Artist Lends Talent To Make Furry Tails Can Come True

Gilbert, AZ - Renowned local artist Ron Burns has really gone to the dogs. Burns, well known for his colorful paintings of shelter dogs has taken his commitment to homeless animals a step further. In honor of the upcoming "Furry Tails Can Come True," Annual Auction, benefiting Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary, Burns has painted "Tiki", one of the dogs that is waiting for a family, and donated the original to Friends for Life, to be auctioned during the live auction portion of the event.

When asked how he chose Tiki as his muse, Burns replied "when I read in her description that 'She is smack in the middle of hard puppy hood and still does not know what is ok and what isn't ok to chew on,' - I thought - there's a girl after my own heart! What a perfect dog to capture in Burns colors - she will show them off like a badge of honor. This lil girl rocks - now lets find her a home so she can rescue a few more human hearts - she obviously knows what to do with them - puppy or not."

Furry Tails Can Come True, benefiting Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary, and sponsored by Gearhead Garage and Caring Hearts Animal Clinic, is a magical evening at the Arizona Golf Resort in Mesa. The event features a hosted cocktail hour with silent auction, followed by a dazzling meal prepared by the Resort's culinary staff, and concluding with the excitement of a live auction and pledge-a-thon. The magic will take place on Saturday, March 24th. 2007 and will feature musical entertainment by The Chauffeurs Band.

Friends for Life is a volunteer based organization, with only one part time paid administrator, however $15,000.00 is required monthly, just to provide the basics of food, shelter, and medical care for the animals who reside with Friends for Life. The group's mission is to rescue stray animals, who often arrive at the shelter in need of medical care due to the conditions they had been living in.

Barb Savoy, Furry Tails Auction Committee Chairperson, says that "Furry Tails is vital to the operation of Friends for Life. It is our largest single day fundraiser annually and volunteers typically begin working ten months in advance to ensure a wonderful evening for our guests. The committee's goal this year is to raise $40,000.00, which will allow us to continue our rescue operations through the slow fundraising, but highest need, summer months."

Seats for the Furry Tails Can Come True Auction and Benefit, and the opportunity to place the winning bid on "Tiki" may be reserved for just $60 per seat before March 17th, or $70 per seat thereafter.

Friends for Life is a registered, non-profit, 501(c)3, volunteer based, no-kill animal organization. For additional information about Friends for Life, Furry Tails Can Come True, reserving seats, donating an item, or becoming an event sponsor, please visit: www.azfriends.org or call (602) 377-7558.