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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — From Head to Tail Grooming Spa is extending its pet portrait mural onto a newly opened pet pantry next door, offering another round of spaces for owners who want artist Patrick Kirwin to paint their dog, cat or other pet onto the building.
Each portrait costs $257.50, which includes a $100 donation to Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats and a 3% credit card processing fee. Owners can add a further donation when they order. Spaces are released in small batches, and the business says the offer is available for a limited time.
The process runs through an online form: submit contact information, the pet's name and breed, and a photo. An invoice follows, and once it's paid the photo goes to Kirwin. Multiple pets require a separate form each.
The mural
The Potomac Yard wall is itself a sequel. Kirwin, an Arlington-based artist who has taught drawing and painting at The Art League at the Torpedo Factory, painted the Dogs of Del Ray mural facing Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, on the Mount Vernon Avenue building now occupied by La'Baik.
From Head to Tail sits at 430 Hume Ave., at the corner of Route 1, putting the portraits in view of highway traffic. Unlike the Del Ray original, the Potomac Yard mural is open to cats and other pets, not just dogs.
The beneficiary
Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats is an Alexandria nonprofit founded in October 2017 by Bryan Tuccillo and his mother, Anne. Bryan has mitochondrial disease, a degenerative neurological condition, and the two began baking treats at home after he aged out of special education services and struggled to find work.
The operation moved into space at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in 2018, starting with four young men. It now employs about a dozen adults with disabilities, producing all-natural ginger treats through baking, packing and selling. The organization adapts the workplace to its employees — customized rolling pins, visual templates, step-by-step guides — and runs a wellness program covering music therapy, yoga, nutrition and workplace skills.
Its tagline: "Treats that transform lives."
From Head to Tail, a cage-free grooming spa in Potomac Yard, can be reached at 571-312-7989 or headtotailspa@gmail.com.
