Jack the Canine Artist: Dog Chews Designer Shoes, Owner Posts to eBay

Rose Hill resident Terrence Nowlin was surprised — and quite impressed — when he realized his dog Jack had chewed through approximately a third of one of his shoes.

Jack is known for being a chewer, Nowlin said, but this particular incident was a little different, and he was too surprised to be upset about losing a left foot to a $200 pair of Cole Haan wingtips. In fact, Nowlin calls Jack's work an accomplishment.

"I was on the phone with my mom when I looked down and noticed that the shoe had been chewed. I was in shock. I just said, 'Oh my God.' I truly couldn't believe that he was physically able to do that to the shoe," Nowlin said. "And he didn't leave a scrap to be found. Just the shoe. My mom asked what was wrong and I couldn't tell her. I just said, 'I have to send you a picture of this. I can't do it justice to describe it.' I couldn't be mad because it was quite the chewing accomplishment."

So what do you do with a chewed, unusable left foot Cole Haan wingtip? Shocked, but impressed with Jack's work, Nowlin posted it to eBay under the title "Half-Chewed Cole Haan Wingtip by Emerging Canine Artist, Left Shoe, Size 11.5D." So far, Nowlin has received a bid of $150 for Jack's first work of art.

Jack is known for his epic chewing adventures, often going at it on Nowlin's socks, throw pillows, an umbrella, the charger for Nowlin's work laptop, shoe strings and he also did a memorable job on the wooden handle of a vintage recliner.

Nowlin said he adopted Jack about a year ago from the Culpeper County animal shelter after finding the Dalmatian mix on Petfinder. When he's not chewing on his owner's things, Jack enjoys playing in the dog park with Nowlin's younger sister's dog.

"He is very mouthy and quite a chewer. His favorite toy is his Nylabone, which keeps him occupied most of the time. However, he's chewed lots of other things that he shouldn't have," Nowlin said.

Nowlin — who works in marketing communications for a Manassas nonprofit — said the result of Jack's recent work on his shoe was too shocking to be upset and thought posting it to eBay was a cute way of showcasing the dog's artwork.

"Really, I initially thought I would list it to entertain my Facebook friends, who seem to enjoy my sense of humor. I set a high opening bid to give the artwork clout, not thinking it would actually garner a real bid," Nowlin explained. "But if it did, I'd have a new pair of shoes! Oddly enough, there has been a bid and there are still nearly eight days left in the auction."

Although Jack seems to be quite destructive, Nowlin said he is a very friendly dog, describing him as the "most unruly dog I've ever met but also likely the sweetest."

Of course, Nowlin called the vet to make sure Jack would be OK after ingesting parts of his shoe. Fortunately, Jack will survive to chew on the remainder of Nowlin's belongings.

Since posting the shoe and the artist on eBay, Nowlin's story has been picked up by Guyism, Happy Place and CNN. So far, the eBay page has more than 6,500 auction views. Jack may very well pay Nowlin back for his recent destruction.