Dogs have been domesticated for a long time that they are familiar to us and have such a range of expression. They want what we want; affection and family and useful work to do. This commonality makes a dog a very easy substitute for a human character. You can tell a human story with dogs while still allowing them to act like dogs. At least that is what Graham Chaffee is able to do.
Cover for Good Dog
Graham Chaffee's new graphic novel Good Dog provides the dog's eye view of the world in crisp pen and ink drawings. Ivan, the good dog of the story, is a stray afflicted by nightmares who wanders the streets in search of meaning to his life. Ivan and the dogs he encounters wrestle with life's big themes: independence, assimilation, and loyalty.
The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring partnership between dogs and people with the Dogs at Work issuance. This set of four stamps depicts four hard-working canines: a guide dog assisting a woman who is blind, a tracking dog on the trail of a scent, a therapy dog visiting an elderly woman in her home, and a search and rescue dog standing in a field, ready to tackle the next assignment.
Artist John M. Thompson created original paintings for the stamps, which were designed by art director Howard E. Paine.
Dogs today excel at a variety of jobs. Currently, some 10,000 guide dogs in the U.S. and Canada serve as an extra set of eyes for people who are blind. Therapy dogs, chosen for their friendly dispositions, bring comfort and joy to the elderly and the ill. Dogs that work with police and military personnel are trained to detect drugs, guns, and explosives. Search and rescue dogs speed up search efforts, increasing the odds of survival for disaster victims.
Portrait of Geraldine Rockefeller in 1906 by Friedrich von Kaulbach Dodge Room in the Morris Museum
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge came from a life of incredible wealth, but what is not as well known is that she lived her days immersed in the company of dogs.
"An Artistic Legacy: The Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Collection" includes 19th century paintings; bronzes; silver dog show trophies; and over 40 watercolors of Dodge's dogs by British artist R. Ward Binks; other dog artists work include those of the late George Earl, Gustav Muss-Arnolt, and Percival Rosseau.
Geraldine founded the prestigious Morris and Essex Kennel Club, wrote books that helped establish the English Cocker, Spaniel, and German Shepherd Dog in the U.S., bred and owned some of the most influential show dogs of her day, and was the first woman to judge Best in Show at Westminster without the input of male colleagues.
Proceeds benefit St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey, which Dodge founded in 1939.
Hallie is a little black and tan long haired dachshund that was adopted from an animal shelter by the artist, Dee Dee Murry.
Hallie is a constant companion to Dee Dee even when she painted. One day Dee Dee wondered if Hallie might like to paint. Hallie learned to pick up the brush out of the paint cup and go over to the paper to make strokes and dabs. Hallie has a website of her paintings for purchase. Since she is a rescue dog herself, the proceeds from her artwork are donated to Purple Heart Rescue of Centralia, Washington.
In April of 2011, Hallie went blind overnight from an autoimmune disease called SARDS (Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome). After Dee Dee took Hallie to Iowa State for possible treatment, she found out that Hallie's blindness was irreversible.
After several months adjusting to her disability, Hallie re-learned to paint. By trial and error and some assistance from Dee Dee, Hallie once again repeats her routine motions of applying a brush stroke of paint followed by several dots of paint.
Dogs are so resilient and amazing in their positive adjustment to disability and Hallie is a shining example and inspiration to not fear our pets' disabilities, nor shy away from adopting disabled dogs.
It works like this. First, you place plastic down on the floor, and then the canvas. Apply some paint to the canvas followed by a top layer of clear plastic. Your dog can now walk and play over the canvas. By the way, a toy is included to help encourage your dog to "paint".
I could not resist posting these two friends especially after writing yesterday's blog.
Dog and Cat Layne Koina metal sculpture
These two whimsical metal sculptures were created by Layne Koina of Enumclaw, Washington. Unfortunately, he does not have a website where you can see more of his creative sculptures. I met him at the annual Arts in the Garden show which happens one August weekend in a beautiful garden.
