Rock stars

Writer: Chris Gerbasi Photo: Fred Lopez

Artist’s colorful paintings of dogs on stones raise awareness for pet adoption.

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In the 1970s, as a novelty gag, people kept “pet rocks” in boxes lined with shredded paper like a hamster cage.

Today, in Lake County, pet rocks have a much deeper meaning. Sheri Meadows, an artist and schoolteacher at Pine Ridge Elementary in Clermont, is painting intricate portraits of dogs on small canvases of stone to raise awareness about pet adoption.

Sheri has hidden painted rocks around her hometown of Clermont and in other communities, and near the Lake County Animal Shelter in Tavares. Anyone who finds one of Sheri’s rocks may bring it to the shelter for a free adoption, sponsored by LEASH Inc., a nonprofit group that benefits the shelter.

“I feel that if I can teach people to care about something important, make them laugh or make them smile, then I get much more back than I give,” she says.

Sheri, a former decorative artist and mural painter, started painting pet adoption messages on rocks this year as part of the Kindness Rocks Project, a national movement. Locally, Lake County Rocks has thousands of online members. Children and adults alike paint rocks and hide them outdoors to provide a smile to anyone who finds them. The finders collect or trade the rocks, hide them again for someone else to find, or replace them with one of their own painted rocks.

Sheri Meadows’ artwork.
Photo provided by Lake County.

When LEASH volunteer Lisa Cooper-Butler saw photos of Sheri’s work on Facebook, she encouraged Sheri to paint rocks for the organization.

“I was so excited about the idea because rescuing dogs is something I’m very passionate about,” says Sheri, who also became a LEASH volunteer. “I thought I’d love to do that.”

Rescue dogs are close to Sheri’s heart because of her parents, Bud and Betty Meadows, who took in Estee, a schnauzer mix, from an area shelter. Bud, who died in 2016, had dementia in his later years, and Sheri credits Estee with saving his life on several occasions, including once when Bud drove his car into a lake outside their home and Estee alerted Betty to the accident. Betty is now in an assisted-living facility, and Sheri cares for Estee and two other dogs.

Sheri painted Estee’s face on a rock as a tribute to her parents, and now has painted more than 100 rocks—and counting.

She uses shelter photos of dogs as inspiration and features the unique, mixed breeds available at the Lake County Animal Shelter.

“We love the creative ideas our volunteers come up with to support shelter pets,” shelter manager Whitney Boylston says in a news release. “The rock project is just one of many ways we are engaging the community and encouraging more visitors to make the shelter their first stop when looking for a family pet.”

Lake County Rocks Facebook photo.

Lake County Rocks isn’t directed at a cause but does share Sheri’s focus: having fun. The guidelines are simple: find rocks and paint them with something inspiring or something to brighten someone’s day, then place them throughout Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla, or the surrounding areas.

Many participants post their artwork or discoveries on the group’s Facebook page, and write that they just “rocked” a business or location after placing their rocks. They sometimes hide rocks in other states and mark them with #LCR, for Lake County Rocks, so they can track the rocks when the finders post photos of them.

The group has grown rapidly since its formation earlier this year and now has more than 3,000 members, according to the web page. Local libraries host rock-painting sessions, and some participants gather for impromptu painting parties at homes or public places, such as Kids Night at Our Sports Bar in Tavares.

Lake County Rocks Facebook photo.

Kindness Rocks (thekindnessrocksproject.com) inspired this trend of social groups that connect for art, fun, and friendship. Other “Rocks” groups have formed in South Lake County, Eustis, Clermont/Minneola, Bushnell, and in communities across the state. Some of the Facebook groups have tens of thousands of members.

For Sheri, her love of painting often was compromised by the demands of her job. But she’s happy she made time for the “pet rocks” and the adoption cause.

“Painting on rocks is completely different. They’re small. Painting large is much easier,” she says. “With the rocks, you want it to look good. I want to bring some personality to it. I want people to adopt the dogs before something happens to them. They’re amazing animals.”

Adopt a pet

The Lake County Animal Shelter is open from 10am-6pm Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm Saturday, and Sunday for adoptions only from 11am-3pm. For more information, stop by the shelter at 28123 County Road 561, Tavares, call 352.343.9688 or visit lakecountyfl.gov/lcas, facebook.com/lakecountyanimalshelter, or twitter.com/lakeshelterpets.