Andrea Johnson/MDN Max Patzner stands in front of the mural he created at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter. The artwork was commissioned by and sponsored by First Western Bank & Trust. People adopting new pets at the shelter will have their pictures taken in front of Patzner’s mural. Patzner also enjoyed petting one of the puppies available for adoption at the shelter on Tuesday.

When people adopt a new animal family member at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter in Minot, they will have their pictures taken in front of a new mural commissioned by First Western Bank & Trust by Minot artist Max Patzner.

“I specialize in drawing cute little faces on animals,” said Patzner, an active Minot artist and musician.

Patzner attended an event on Tuesday to celebrate the unveiling of the mural he created at the animal shelter.

The mural features cute little animal faces on whimsical images. In one scene in the mural, a cat and a dog ride in a car. Elsewhere in the mural, a cat perches atop a house that reads “Furrever Home” and says “Meow.” In another section of the mural, another cat lounges in the branches of a tree to the side of the house.

Patzner said the peek-a-boo windows in the house in the mural were inspired by his 1-year-old son and the books they read together. His son laughs with joy when he opens up one of the windows in a picture book and sees the pictures. Patzner said he wanted to give other children the same delight that he has enjoyed with his little boy.

Two children at the event, Kip Samson, 4, and his brother Hart Samson, 2, who attended the mural unveiling with their mother, Marcela Samson, were having a good time on Tuesday morning opening the peek-a-boo windows on the mural and pointing at the pictures of the animals. They also enjoyed petting the shelter’s cute puppies.

Patzner’s new venture is an inspirational / educational program for kids called: “The Little Why Not? Publishing House,” according to information provided by First Western. Patzner teaches students how to write and illustrate their own books and then turns them into hardcover books that can be kept on the family bookshelf.

Patzner said his children’s books, “Wild & The Animal Band,” and “Alpha, Yeah, Sure, You BETcha: The Nodak ABCs” can be purchased at Main Street Books in downtown Minot. More information about his projects can be found at www.littlewhynot.org or www.wildhandsnd.com

Pru Bray, the special events coordinator for the Souris Valley Animal Shelter, said the mural commissioned by First Western Bank & Trust graces a wall in the entrance to the shelter’s veterinary clinic. It will also be the space for lots of happy beginnings of “fur-ever families” who have just adopted a new pet at the shelter.