“Adopt! Spay! Neuter! Foster! Donate! Volunteer!”
Melinda was 8 years old when I met her. She is the youngest of 4 Bruesch kids. From day one, there were at least two things very clear to me about Melinda: 1) She was passionate about animals (especially horses), and 2) she was, even as a 3rd grader, a creative and excellent artist. Melinda would come running out of her bedroom, all smiles and excitement, with her latest creation, and would explain each element to us in detail; then she would just as quickly run back to her bedroom to draw some more.
Her smile was huge, her eyes always showed “something going on in that little brain of hers,” and she wanted nothing more than to have her own horse. 
“Cherokee” became a part of her life when she was a pre-teen, which led to riding lessons and competition. “Melinda Bruesch, be thinkin’ about it,” was what the announcer would say to let her know she was up next. I’ll have to ask her what she did with all those ribbons she won. We were all extremely proud of her, whether she won or not.
Today, Melinda Dalke lives in Oregon, just outside the Portland area, sharing her life with her husband and pets. She has always created art in one way or another, but for the past 12 years, she has been a professional artist specializing in painting animals, and who also spends time promoting animal rescue organizations.
Melinda earned her Associates Degree in Graphic Arts, and still loves taking art classes. She donates her art to benefit animal rescue fundraisers, and donates at least 10% of her earnings to these organizations as well.
The pets with which she has shared her life include Dixie the Pomeranian; Kaizer the German Shepherd; Cats: Boo Boo who was fluffy and black and liked Jack Balls, and sweet CC (short for Carpet Crapper) who was Boo Boo’s daughter and gray. Currently, she lives with Bam Bam Blues (a handsome and comical Pitt Bull Mix), Day-Lee Marie (a sweet, protective black & white mutt), Sedona Sage (domestic long-hair diva), Mochachino (a loving Lynx Point Owyhee Bob longtail), Rembrandt Rebel (a fabulous ex-feral American Shorthair Tabby), and the newest member of the clan, Miso Paisley Blu (a precious Siamese kitten they adopted from Kitty Angel Team Adoption.
Some of the animal rescues Melinda works with:
Gus Hawthorne Foundation
Carolina Care Bullies
And many more she would love to tell you about.
I asked Melinda, if she could only have one of her many pets for a lifetime, which one it would be. Difficult to choose, but she narrowed it down to a cat and a dog who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge: Ivory, a Turkish Angora who she described simply as perfect; and Mojo Bubbins, a huge Pit Bull she rescued after he was dumped at a park, who she described as a sweet soul and gentle with everyone. She loved him dearly and still misses him daily.
And what message would she pass onto the world? One that is greatly needed, especially now with Hurricane Sandy having affected so many of our precious furry babies:
“Adopt! Spay! Neuter! Foster! Donate! Volunteer!”
Aptly said, Melinda.
You can see and purchase Melinda’s artwork by going to her Web page:
Laughing Paws Art Studio
Some topics on this page: Melinda Dalke | animal rescue | pet artist | pit bull rescue
