I’m always touched by the outpouring of affection that articles about
dogs elicit. A good example is this Etsy blog post from yesterday,
where I’m one of many commenters who can barely contain themselves
when talking about their love of dogs. My two Labrador retrievers,
both of whom passed away within the last year (they were 14 and 15),
were (as my brother put it) my artistic “muses” for many years.

That inspiration came from the joy they brought me every day, even
though their crazy eating habits (toilet paper, kleenex, socks,
dish towels, shoes, walls, leashes, my running pants, my Dalai Lama book
of wisdom, earplugs, camera case, etc., etc., the list goes on
forever), turned my house–and sometimes my life–upside down.

But frankly, my life needed to be turned over a bit to soften my heart and
make me appreciate those things that, at first, make you tear your
hair out, but ultimately make living good. I thank Henry and Diesel
for teaching me that.

Oil painting of Diesel, actual size 16"x20"

Oil painting of Henry, actual size 9" x 12"

Henry loved to be sprayed with the hose!