Pooch Paints at Children’s Museum

Local canine celebrity Netop, the painting pooch made an appearance at the Wilmington Children’s Museum Saturday.

He did demonstrations and even let some children help him paint his latest masterpiece. Four year old Emma Stults was thrilled by the opportunity to work with him.

“Netop is a good dog!” Emma said excitedly. “He’s a very good dog.”

Netop has composed over 200 pictures and helped raise money for numerous causes. At the Children’s Museum Saturday he helped raise money for pet oxygen masks.

“Just plainly amazing,” said 11-year-old museum volunteer Jacob Smith about Netop’s paintings. “A must-have in your hallway.”

Adopted from a shelter when he was a pup, Netop composed his first painting almost two years ago. His owner Jacqueline Karch (who is also an artist) says Netop is a natural.

“He just picked it up almost instantly,” said Karch. “He’s so spontaneous, he’s not inhibited at all, he just kinda goes for it. He’s really very, very talented and he’s not afraid to make a brush stroke. I think he can compete with the human population.”

“I would say he’s an abstract expressionist,” Karch added.

Some of Netop’s pieces sell for as much as $150.

“It’s how he relates to things,” said Jacob Smith. “They don’t look like things but you can easily relate to them.”

The pet oxygen masks Netop raised money for are used to prevent animals from suffering from smoke inhalation in case of a fire. They can be used on dogs, cats, and even birds.