It all started with this girl.
In November 2004, I traveled to Taiwan with my husband. On one afternoon, we took the train out Hualien, a seaside town. I noticed a small dog with a limp being chased away from food scraps by the other strays who roamed the sidewalks. She hopped up to me and was glued to my side for the entire hour we were there. My heart was seriously breaking for this sweet girl. I desperately wanted to take her back to the US with me, but it wasn't possible at the time. We bought a warm meal from a street vendor for her, and stayed with her until she had finished it, protecting her and the food from the other, stronger dogs. I cried about her the whole way back on the train and for days afterward. I still do, sometimes.
When we got back to the States, I wanted to do something in her honor. I chose to become a volunteer at the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, a fantastic no-kill animal shelter. For the shelter's annual art auction, Art Unleashed, I made and donated two sock dogs. I'd never made anything like them before, and it showed! They were sad looking little buggers. So after they were purchased for over $100 apiece and I almost passed out from the shock, I decided to keep going and make some more! They've evolved a lot since then but I still make each Original Sock Dog myself and 10% of every sale still benefits the HSGKC (specifically, the Ray of Hope program) and various rescue groups, including Angel City Pits and Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue. I truly love what I do, and I hope it shows!
-Stacey Hsu, illustrator, writer, plush artist, shelter volunteer, mom to two human kids and four furry ones.
When we got back to the States, I wanted to do something in her honor. I chose to become a volunteer at the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, a fantastic no-kill animal shelter. For the shelter's annual art auction, Art Unleashed, I made and donated two sock dogs. I'd never made anything like them before, and it showed! They were sad looking little buggers. So after they were purchased for over $100 apiece and I almost passed out from the shock, I decided to keep going and make some more! They've evolved a lot since then but I still make each Original Sock Dog myself and 10% of every sale still benefits the HSGKC (specifically, the Ray of Hope program) and various rescue groups, including Angel City Pits and Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue. I truly love what I do, and I hope it shows!
-Stacey Hsu, illustrator, writer, plush artist, shelter volunteer, mom to two human kids and four furry ones.
