Jeana Jessie paints mural to honor, thank shelter for her dogs

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) -This week’s Community Hero is an animal lover who was so touched by the animal shelter from which she adopted her dog that she wanted to do something in return. So, she used her newly found passion to show her appreciation.

Jeana Jessie’s dog, Zoey, was not in good condition when she arrived at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter.

“She was left severely malnourished,” Jessie remembers. “She was actually called the unadoptable dog because she would not come out of her kennel. So I actually had to walk around the corner to take pictures of her because she wouldn’t come out for me.”

However, Zoey was not unadoptable, and thanks to Jessie, Zoey found her happy ending.

Jessie then volunteered to paint a mural in the animal shelter featuring Zoey.

“It was exciting and frustrating and daunting,” she said. “But there’s something that’s really special about bringing something to life. And so whenever you paint the eyes first, people say that the eyes of the window to the soul. And that made it much easier for the entire family to come together once I painted their eyes first.”

Jessie said Zoey was the perfect subject for her first project, despite only having painted for less than a year.

“They absolutely turned her around as an animal,” she said. “And then, I think that we all find ourselves being lost in our own lives sometimes. And that’s just what life is. You’re lost and then you’re found and your lost and you’re found again. And and I found her and she found me. And so this is a place where you get found.”

Jessie hopes more dogs are found. Dogs like Oakley, who was brought in severely malnourished and is now full of life and ready for a forever home, and Floyd, who has been at the animal shelter for a year, patiently waiting for a new family. Both dogs are always ready for scratches, with their tails wagging.

“They’re just so optimistic still about their own lives,” she said. “So I know that whenever I was coming for my dogs, I felt lost as a person. And there was something about finding your way with an animal.”

The Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The shelter is closed on Sundays.

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