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<p>MOUNTAIN TOP &#8212; With a photo of their pets set next to them, along with a palette of colors mixed by their instructor, 31 amateur artists put their brushes to canvas, creatiung images of their beloved pets.</p><p>Animal lovers took part in a &#8220;Paint Your Pet&#8221; fundraiser at the Art Party Place on Sunday to benefit Mureille&#8217;s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Wapwallopen.</p><p>Each of the participants had emailed a photo of their pet in advance to Lauren Smith, owner of the venue. The animals were then sketched in pencil onto a canvas by head artist Emily Terrell to serve as a guide.</p><p>&#8220;I give them basic instructions,&#8221; said Terrell, who is also Smith&#8217;s mother. &#8220;It&#8217;s like paint by numbers.&#8221;</p><p>Amy Owen, of Carverton, gazed at her almost-completed painting of her beloved 10-year-old black lab, Riley. With a palette of black, gray, brown and white, she wasn&#8217;t sure how to paint her eyes because one of them is blind. So she decided to paint her eye as it appeared in the photo. &#8220;It shows that fight in her to keep going,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Owen said learning how to paint her dog wasn&#8217;t difficult with Terrell&#8217;s guidance. &#8220;I find it pretty easy,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I have M.S., so this is really therapeutic for my hands, and it&#8217;s fun too.&#8221;</p><p>Barbara Nullet-Yackle, president and founder of Murielle&#8217;s (pronounced &#8216;Myur-`Ays&#8217;) Place, said she&#8217;s been rescuing senior dogs since 2006. &#8220;We&#8217;ve had over 120 come through our doors since then,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Nullet-Yackle said she and her husband, Kirk Yackle, share their 2,700-square-foot home with 25 dogs ranging in age from 13 to 18, many of whom have a variety of medical problems. &#8220;We are a no-kill, cage-free and totally volunteer-run sanctuary,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We provide aroma therapy and diffusers, cushy dog beds, couches and specialized classical dog music.&#8221;</p><p>The dogs are separated into packs, Nullet-Yackle said, pointing out that the upstairs of her home is for dogs with terminal conditions such a brain tumor, cancer and liver failure. Murielle is the name of Barbara&#8217;s first senior rescue dog, an akito-coyote mix who was 8 when she came into their lives. &#8220;She was running through the hills in California.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;She puts in a lot of hours,&#8221; said Yackle of his wife. &#8220;That&#8217;s probably the reason I fell in love with her &#8212; because she has a big heart.&#8221; The sanctuary relies solely on donations and help from volunteers.</p><p><ins>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been very blessed to have the support we&#8217;ve received,&#8221; said Nullet-Yackle.</ins></p><p>Dogs arrive at Mureille&#8217;s Place due to circumstances such as an owner&#8217;s death, divorce and domestic violence, she said, adding that they just took in an 18-year-old husky mix. &#8220;These guys can&#8217;t go into the shelter system comfortably,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Most of them have nowhere else to go. We give families peace of mind to know that their elderly dog is in a good place.&#8221;</p><p>Volunteering at Mureille&#8217;s Place is easy and rewarding said Nullet-Yackle. Volunteers mostly play with the dogs, walk them along the walking trails on the sanctuary&#8217;s property and give them lots of affection.</p><p>Tanya Stankus, of Conyngham painted a realistic picture of her short-haired pointer, Rudy.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s my son,&#8221; she said affectionately.</p><p>Stankus is a volunteer at Murielle&#8217;s Place.</p><p>&#8220;I love it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I help feed and clean up poop and I bring them goodies.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Barb&#8217;s amazing,&#8221; said Stankus. &#8220;Every day, she faces another challenge and she gives them such love. If there were more people like her, the world would be a better place.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mallori Moran, of Drums, gets her paint pallet filled by artist Emily Terrelll at Art Party Place in Mountain Top during a benefit for Mureille&#8217;s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Wapwallopen. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mallori Moran, of Drums, gets her paint pallet filled by artist Emily Terrelll at Art Party Place in Mountain Top during a benefit for Mureille&#8217;s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Wapwallopen. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Art Party Place owner, Lauren Smith, far right, stands next to Barbara Nullet-Yachkel of Mureille&#8217;s Place as she addresses over 30 were participating int Paint Your Pet fundraiser benefiting Mureille&#8217;s Place. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Art Party Place owner, Lauren Smith, far right, stands next to Barbara Nullet-Yachkel of Mureille&#8217;s Place as she addresses over 30 were participating int Paint Your Pet fundraiser benefiting Mureille&#8217;s Place. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Art Party Place owner Lauren Smith takes a look at Hunlock Creek&#8217;s Kathleena Gerrity painting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Art Party Place owner Lauren Smith takes a look at Hunlock Creek&#8217;s Kathleena Gerrity painting. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-1CMYK-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mallori Moran, of Drums, gets her paint pallet filled by artist Emily Terrelll at Art Party Place in Mountain Top during a benefit for Mureille&#8217;s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Wapwallopen. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-1CMYK-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Mallori Moran, of Drums, gets her paint pallet filled by artist Emily Terrelll at Art Party Place in Mountain Top during a benefit for Mureille&#8217;s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Wapwallopen. </caption3><photoCredit3>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-2CMYK-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Art Party Place owner, Lauren Smith, far right, stands next to Barbara Nullet-Yachkel of Mureille&#8217;s Place as she addresses over 30 were participating int Paint Your Pet fundraiser benefiting Mureille&#8217;s Place. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-2CMYK-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Art Party Place owner, Lauren Smith, far right, stands next to Barbara Nullet-Yachkel of Mureille&#8217;s Place as she addresses over 30 were participating int Paint Your Pet fundraiser benefiting Mureille&#8217;s Place. </caption4><photoCredit4>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-3CMYK-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Art Party Place owner Lauren Smith takes a look at Hunlock Creek&#8217;s Kathleena Gerrity painting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Art-Party-Place-Pet-Painting-3CMYK-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Art Party Place owner Lauren Smith takes a look at Hunlock Creek&#8217;s Kathleena Gerrity painting. </caption5><photoCredit5>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Art exercise benefits dog shelter</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Camille Sicolo-Fioti</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>ON THE WEB</strong></p><p>To learn more about Mureille&#8217;s Place, visit <a href="http://www.mureillesplace.org" target="_blank">www.mureillesplace.org</a>.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader at 570-829-7242.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Paint your pets’ class benefits shelter for dogs