When Brazilian illustrator Rafael Mantesso divorced with his ex-wife, she took all of the furniture with her, leaving behind an empty house with white walls. All he had was Jimmy Choo, his bull terrier. Mantesso started painting and illustrating again, which is when his cute dog lent him a paw by posing for some funny drawings.

Mantesso creates the illustrations and then gets Jimmy to pose for them with a simple “Stay” command. Read on for more from his interview with Bored Panda!

More info: Instagram (h/t: ufunk, anothermag)

“Although it’s really messy when I’m fulfilling my photo ideas with him, he obeys me,” Mantesso told Bored Panda.

“I had just divorced my ex-wife, who took all the furniture in the house and the house was completely empty and white. The only thing I had was Jimmy and an empty white house.”

“I had a pit bull when he was younger, and he died early. Then, I always dreamed of having one of these adorable dogs.”

“I think they are an amazing breed – behavior, personality, the love they demonstrate to their owner, and especially their aesthetics.”

“He is definitely my best friend and companion. I hate it when people turn away or cross the street for fear of him – people think bull terriers and pit bull dogs are murderers and bloodthirsty.”

“I love to paint and draw, but recently I went back to do that. For now, it is a hobby, draw, illustrate, and paint using objects in my daily life. I already have some requests for screens, photo manipulations, and I am starting to think about making it work. We will see.”

The touching image that started it all:

We’d like to thank Rafael for the comments about his cute photos. We wish him the best of luck with his work!