There are some people out there who were simply born with a heart of gold. Even from a young age, there are those out there who are innately inclined to be kind, selfless, and giving. Sometimes it’s these beautiful and caring children that make the biggest difference in the world because they see things from a different, more innocent perspective than adults.
A 9-year-old boy in Russia named Pavel Abramov is an incredible young artist and he also has a deep love for animals. So – he decided to combine the two.
Pavel lives in a small city called Arzamas in Nizhny Novgorod and he has been painting gorgeous portraits of pets to sell. However, he doesn’t pocket the money for his own good. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – he exchanges the paintings for pet food and supplies then donates them to a local animal shelter.
The young boy and his mom Ekaterina Bolshakova started the project called “Kind Paintbrushes” after Pavel’s beloved pet, Barsik, passed away. From that moment on, Pavel couldn’t look at a stray dog without having his heart feel broken that they didn’t have a family that loved them.
Pavel wanted to help as many strays as possible – so he put his creativity and generosity to work.
The mother and son also run a group on Russian social media site, VK, called “What a little volunteer is capable of?” The page shows the world that young people are beyond capable of changing the world and showcase just how he’s doing it. Pavel and Ekaterina are hoping that it will inspire other philanthropic young people.
The young artist doesn’t have any backing by organizations or managers – he’s doing it all on his own. Pavel finds pet owners who are willing to donate kilograms of porridge, meat, or pet supplies in exchange for a portrait of their fur baby.
Pavel paints his beautiful portraits using photos of the pets and often meets them afterward. He loves hearing the story of how the owner and animal met.
What Pavel loves the most is hearing about rescue stories – the entire purpose behind his portrait project. It warms his heart to know that someone took a chance on a stray and brought them into their home to show them warmth and love.
Pavel’s efforts certainly aren’t going unnoticed. His efforts have caught the attention of people all around the globe and pet owners around the world are wanting to have their pet’s portraits done by the young boy.
The altruistic young artist has had his portraits shipped to pet owners in Germany and Spain with more on the waiting list.
Pavel happens to also be the youngest volunteer at the local animal shelter which houses over 100 dogs. Depending on what the shelter needs at the time, Pavel will paint portraits in exchange for shelter supplies, food, accessories, or other necessities.
Take a look at what some of the portraits brought the clinic:
Below, Chuck’s portrait was exchanged for 10 cans of dog food, 5 kg of buckwheat, and skin medicine.
Timofey’s portrait earned the shelter some new dog collars and medicine.
These two hamsters were given to the owner in exchange for 4 kg of canned dog food, 2.5 kg of dry food, a toy, and a leash.
The adorable family below was presented to the owner in exchange for 15 kg of beef trimmings.
Jesse’s portrait was done in exchange for 7 kg of offal and 3 kg of buckwheat.
Follow Pavel on Instagram or follow his group on VK.
“Our family is proud of his wonderful project. His days are scheduled to minutes, he wants to do absolutely everything, there is just not enough time,” the boy’s mother Ekaterina told Bored Panda.
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