Meet Radar Love...

     Finally!  I have adopted a dog of my very own from the Sacramento SPCA.   He's very cute and has the best ears, hence the name, Radar!  Radar was transferred from the Lodi SPCA, to the Sacramento SPCA after spending 7 long months in a kennel there.  Even though he has his own bed, his favorite place to sleep is my bed - yup, he didn't even think twice about it.  And, who could blame him?!

Radar has recently been deemed the official Pet PawTraits Mascot.  He has many responsibilities and is ready to help out with most anything and everything.  He is the new, in-house art critic and assures me when my paintings are complete.  He's a very quick learner and I'm hoping with a little more training, he'll be able to assist me with answering emails, and maybe even a little painting here and there. 

Meet Garbo...

There is so much that could be said about sweet Garbo, the true inspiration for my business.   Clever and sweet....simply put, Garbo was THE best dog ever.  A true role model and what we all think of when we think about that one dog that TRULY was a member of the family.  Garbo is somewhere on the Rainbow Bridge... waiting... patiently... for her true love, her two-legged companion.  She was deeply loved and just as equally, missed.

Meet Player...

I sit here in shock, over the loss of dear Player, a dog who seemingly had more lives than a cat….though, if he were still here, just the slightest mention of “cat” would perk up those flying nun ears.  Player was the oldest and wisest member of my family's four-legged pack.  Adopted on April 28th, 1994, he was a rescue dog from San Francisco and was found tied to a median on a busy freeway with a sign that said "free."  Consequently, Player was very afraid of loud noises, so holidays that included fireworks always made for an interesting experience.  Player was quite the comedian….and his sense of humor and wit only seemed to grow with his old age.  He even had his very own laugh, a contagious one at that!  Getting older definitely had its  advantages.  His hearing became quite selective which allowed him to get away with MOST things.  He also became quite successful at scoring as many “cookies” as possible.  In fact, if there was a cookie nearby, he had no problem getting around on those tired back legs of his.  Whenever you would reach out to pet him, he would throw his nose to your hand at lightning speed, inhaling deep…for maybe, just maybe you might have something edible in there.  He definitely grew to have a one track mind:  cookies.  He didn't always live for cookies though...  I remember him in his prime too, the most playful and clever of pups, before "cookie" became the replacement for "park" or "walk."  He spent most of his life as a grand escape artist, and amazingly we found him every time....and amazingly the pocketbook was opened every time to replace doors, windows, and fences that he had to get through and under during his escape.  Player had seizures his whole life as well...never really sure what brought them on.  A very scary thing to see, indeed.  Because of this, he spent most of his life on heavy medication, which only amazes us more that he lived as long as he did. 

While dog sitting Player last week, we had a scare, and I was going to possibly have to make a decision to put him down, but couldn’t bare doing that while my mom and her partner were out of town.  Our wonderful vet was able to buy us some time, and we were able to spend one final week with him.  A week that was too short.  It has been a week of realizing how old he really is…was.  After all, he was only 98… in dog years…  We had the follow up appointment today, and upon arriving to the vet, we were told that there were a lot of other things going on with him, and that he was only going to get worse.  So to sleep he went, with his dignity, into that peaceful deep never-ending slumber.  He has reunited with Garbo, and together they wait for their human companion.  I am saddened that I can’t give him one more hug, or sing him one more song, or have one more morning, one more night, one more cookie, one more brushing...one more walk...just one more….  I have a heart full of memories…  Player has taught me so much on life…the kinds of things that only a dog can teach.  He was the most soulful dog I have known.  He would just sit across the room from you and stare... deep into your eyes.  He became a wise old man who lived for his cookies, and I owe him so much….he was my very first pet portrait, long before I even realized I was creating my first of many portraits.  He was very much mine and my mom's dog, but the bond he had with his human companion, Pam, was like no other and may very well be the strongest force behind my passion.  It is for that bond that I first painted, it is for that bond that I continue to paint, and it is for that bond that I hope to forever paint and to forever capture between us measly humans and our pets.  To Pam and Player, I am forever grateful. 

Rest well, my dear Player…it's been a long, happy journey.  I love you... 

Meet Chase...

Chase is the most well-behaved member of the pack.  She is the best on the leash, she listens when the other's don't, and will follow you WHEREVER you go.  She acts as 'puppy police,' and lets the other dogs know when they are getting a little too rowdy.  She is the ultimate toy hog, not too concerned with playing...  Chase was the inspiration for my painting on my home page, 'Doggedly Faithful.'  Faithful she is, and doggedly, for sure. 

Meet Splash...

This is Splash, the youngest of the family pack.  He is known as the bionic dog, as he has had two titanium hip replacements.  He is obsessed with toys and has learned all the names of his different toys.  Subsequently, he has become very familiar with the term, 'no more!'  Splash is the kind of dog that needs to have a job...the retrieving kind of job.  He was bred to be a hunting dog, but with two bad hips, the only thing he can hunt is his stuffed duck or his new football.  The ultimate joy and not an ounce of fear for this well-loved, yellow lab.

Meet Luna...

Poor Luna is no longer with us.  We found her as a stray, and you could tell that she had been travelling the streets for a VERY long time.  She was mostly deaf, always happy, and loved her food.  She was a great companion and you couldn't help but smile when you looked at her sweet face.  Putting Luna to rest was a hard day in many ways, but we were all happy that she was able to enjoy her last few years in a loving home with LOTS of free food.  On the Rainbow bridge....

Meet Ansel, Houdini, and Sherlock...

These three muskateers were my childhood cats, and one of my only pictures of them.  Mellow, smooth, clever hunters, and true companions...