A Gust of Mutts

Bill and Charlie, March 2013

My brother's dog Buddy, March 2013

Who doesn't love dogs?

I have drawn a lot of dogs over the years, and continue to do more. 
A dog is a companion in life and a keepsake afterward. Most of these drawings were gifts.
Because I just love 'em.

Madison

Madison II ("Today's News")

The Monkees, that fake TV rock group from the mid-1960s, once dropped a loaf called "I'm Gonna Buy Me a Dog." It was a pretty simple tune, went like this:

"I'm gonna buy me a dog [A dog, a dog! Why?]
'Cause I need a friend now. [Say, you need all the friends you can get]
I'm gonna buy me a dog,
My girl, my girl, don't love me no how."

"Little Friends"

"Five Dogs"

 

Bella (another Bella ... )

Gwen

It was a silly song that appealed to the 6-year-old in me. Plus, it was sung by the drummer (Mickey Dolenz). There was Monkee gibberish at the end including one line that I thought asked the deep question: "Who poops a pot full rambling?" Yeah. I used to belt that out round the house, take it to school and do it in stores. My mother would yell, my dad would agree with her -- and then he'd call my grandpa and they'd crack up.

 

Kate

I could never have a dog when I was a child. Allergies. Allergy shots. Red eyes, wheezy breath, worried adults.
So I had turtles, frogs, rats and other small animals and shelved the dog desire for many years.

Mandy

Maddie and Tobey

Then, one summer vacation, when my daughters were preschoolers, I just went and got a dog from a woman in Newton Falls. His name was Sam, a lab-shepherd mix. And I took Allegra and Benadryl and Claritin and God-knows-what-else for a year until I stopped sneezing.

It was worth every drip.

Emily, Kara and Sam

Copper

Ripleys

Jiggs

Corleone

Hank

Bella and Corly

Chloe

Gracie

I have since had three dogs, and I talked to them all.
That's right.
We talk, as in actual, deep one-on-ones. Usually at night, in the back yard, where no one can hear me and think I'm nuts.
It really makes perfect sense.

Remington

Dogs are great listeners. They are in permanent "Uh-huh, Yep" mode. There's enough space between those big reflective eyes and radar ears to comprehend what you're saying. They don't argue, they don't judge.
Dogs can keep secrets.

Emily and Corleone

And every now and again, they give you an answer. A solution to whatever human mess you've tripped over.
Because dogs are not weighed down by human baggage, their responses are simple and direct, communicated by a wag, a nuzzle, eyebrows, paws on your person or a bark. "Sounds good." "Do that." "Cool." "It'll get better." "Love you, too."

Hank and Bella

Corly and Bella

What were my dogs Bella and Hank, and, later, Corly and Bella,  saying to each other here, in these pictures? Probably something fleeting, insignificant -- saving the big signals for me.

A dog's time with us is short, 8 to 12 years I'd say, because they burn so much life absorbing what we're unloading on them. Dogs are like shock absorbers for people. It takes a toll.

Corly. Balls.

Odie

There's an immeasurably painful, crushing and suffocating weight when they die and that reliable sounding board goes away.
How can we reason through life without our canine confidants?
I don't have the answer for that. That's also why I have two of 'em.

Roxanne

Here are a few more, and there are others out there -- always listening.

Mocha

Bailey

Carly and Bella

A selection of favored canines.

Can I draw your best friend?
hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com
 

"The Waiting Dog"