Our staff just oozes with talent, not only as dog walkers, but also as professional artists. Minder AJ Bredensteiner shares with us some background info on his venture, The Animal Friends.
Give us a bit of information about your background as an artist…
I grew up in Nebraska taking art classes where we mostly drew, wait for it… wildlife animals! I stuck with it from then on and when my first attempt at college didn’t go so well I had art to fall back on. Some chance events led me to UArts in Philadelphia and in 2011 I received my MFA in painting.
So tell us where you got the idea for The Animal Friends…
Check out Rex, one of The Animal Friends.
In grad school they filled my head with a bunch of interesting nonsense 
When I graduated, I decided I just wanted to make art that I could have fun with. The idea slowly evolved into a bunch of animals making mischief in the city… It wasn’t three months later that I started walking dogs in the city almost by coincidence. All of my dudes (and dudettes) that I walk make me laugh and cry every day, there is so much drama going on inside their furry heads… Im constantly mopping their stories up and wringing them out into the Animal Friends 
What does the future hold for The Animal Friends?
My big goal is to make art that people are engaged with throughout the creative process, not just the finished product. This would include using aspects of Facebook and Youtube to connect with people as I am working through all the stages of creation. I am also trying not to limit myself to just art that is hung on a wall, I have a children’s book in the works, and I would REALLY like to make a video game in the future. There are a bunch of Animal Friends stories to be told and the challenging/exciting part is figuring out which form to tell them in.
It appears that Princess is locked, how exactly do we go about investigating how to free her from the castle?
Ha! Princess might be there for awhile, her story is yet to come
Detective Schultz was inspired by a long term Monster Minder cllient! We love it!
Have any of your clients inspired new Animal Friends?
There are some big personalities that are just itching to become Animal Friends… Its just a matter of time before I find a way to weave them into the stories
Check out all of The Animal Friends on their website. (Hopefully Schultz will be there soon!)
The Animal Friends on YouTube: AJ has his own YouTube Channel with awesome How-To-Draw videos for The Animal Friends. You can check AJ out, actually drawing the Friends, while he gives the viewers tips and tricks AND gives some adventure updates at the same time. We’re totally addicted. Fox has a crush! Rex builds a sandcastle! Grab a sharpie or a pencil and follow the action.
