Press Coverage

New York Dog Magazine

July 2005

For the Love of Libby

The death of her Golden Retriever prompted one New York artist to dedicate an extraordinary exhibition in her honor. From the moment you walk into Kate Rudin and Nancy DeLieto's West Village artist's loft, the feeling of Zen is overwhelming, if that's not a contradiction in terms. Zen, with a pinch of hilarity, tons of humanity, and of course, a smattering of dog fur from Shadow, their 13-year-old Irish Setter/Golden Retriever mix.

Kate is a native New Yorker and mixed media artist....

"For Libby" may seem to some like a departure from your typical exhibit, as Kate will donate all her proceeds to the Animal Cancer Foundation. But it's right in line with Kate and Nancy's agenda. Along with their work for ASPCA, several AIDS and gay rights organizations, and Yankee Golden Retriever rescue, they've been involved with ACF for years.

The benefits of the ACF became all too familiar early this year when the 14-year-old Golden Retriever, Libby - a 30th birthday gift from Nancy to Kate - was diagnosed with cancer....

"She was diagnosed to have three months to live, and she only lived for three weeks," says Nancy who arranged for a healer [Sondra Shaye] to visit Libby and help ease her passing. Sondra came on a Thursday, Libby died the following Saturday. "At midnight she passed away in our arms," Nancy explains....

"Dogs are as spiritual as I get," Kate explains. "I'm not a spiritual, self-help kind of person but dogs are it for me. There is a higher power, and that's where I see it, I see it in dogs. I think we have a lot to learn from them." Amen.