We’ve all heard of the goose that laid the golden egg, but what about a pooch whose paintings sell for a packet?

Meet Sam, a bloodhound-labrador cross who is a dab paw with a brush. He’s now completed more than 22 paintings, using a special brush, which he holds in his mouth, and is getting quite a following. He’s been exhibited in swanky New York galleries, and some of his work has sold for more than £1,000!

Sam lives in Maryland, USA, with his owner Mary Stadelbacher, who picked him up at a dogs’ home.

Mary, an amateur artist, heard about animals such as elephants producing works of art, and decided to teach Sam to paint.

Whether it’s outside in the garden in the summer, or inside by a cosy fire, Mary simply places a canvas in front of Sam and on the word “paint” he gets to work. She has even shown him how to layer his work, starting with dark colours and then using lighter shades.

“He loves his painting and would happily carry on for hours if I left him to it,” she says. With buyers travelling from as far as Chicago, and one shelling out $1,700 (£1,045) for a piece, no one could accuse Sam of not earning his dog treats.

“We even had one woman buy her dog one of Sam’s paintings as a birthday present,” says Mary. “He is quite a unique abstract artist.”

Sam is not the first famous pet to pick up a brush. Other artist animals include Ko Ko, the gorilla, Del Boy, the pig and Lankam, the elephant.

What is Sam’s art saying?

Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times’ chief art critic, gives her verdict on To Fetch a Pail of Water by Sam the dog:

“This is probably what could be described as an Expressionist painting. It speaks about or expresses the way that the artist is feeling. I would certainly guess from this picture that the dog is excited and happy. You can tell this not just from the colours, which are bright and exuberant but in the way the paint seems to bounce and skidaddle across the surface of the paper. Sometimes it’s moving so quickly that the marks are barely more than a sketch. Is the blue blotch on the right hand side a nose-print? Is this the water which, the title tells us, the dog has gone to fetch? Abstract paintings like this don’t offer a clear subject matter. They do not present realistic images of objects. It is up to you, the viewer, to think and enjoy and respond.”

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