OSCAR ATE MY MUFFIN

And Just Like That...

The first warm days of spring never fail to inspire a craving for ice cream cones (Oscar and I are pretty big fans). Coincidentally, those teasingly mild temperatures also tend to coincide with a rather important event on the spring calendar - an event that fully supports the procurement of aforementioned ice cream, going so far even to demand sprinkles... that's right, it's BIRTHDAY-time, friends, and this year, for one big red dog, it was something special...

This year, on the cloudy 27th of March, 2015, Oscar-dog turned one year older. And this year, the Beast turned TEN. 120 months have passed, roughly 3,650 rotations on the earthly axis, and countless hours of beloved company have been enjoyed since this stubborn, steady, remarkably clever (and shockingly handsome) canine rocked into the world. And you know what? He just. keeps. getting. better...


He may nap a bit more loudly, and romp a little less; he may require more frequent fine-tuning, and his drool is still a mess... But his patience has only grown longer, his old-dog-wisdom is real, and when it comes to loyalty and focus - let's just say... there's a reason why my dad recently remarked, "You know Oscar is really like a weathervane - whenever I need to know where you are, I just look at which direction he's pointing!". If that's not devotion, folks, I don't know what is.

10 years young, this incredible Beast is wearing his age like the fine gentleman he's always been, and I count myself blessed beyond compare to have him always by my side.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy - here's to many more.

Sleeping Positions...

Like any good Ridgeback, Oscar is a sneak and a clown and a stubborn mule when he wants to be, but due to many years of training, he also has excellent manners. One of his most endearing qualities is his refusal to climb aboard furniture until he has been invited to do so by a human (he can be overt to the point of hilarity about his interest in being up where the people are, but he won't so much as lift a paw onto upholstery without express permission). For his first 6 or so years, he wasn't ever given a chance to leave his place on the floor - it's only been somewhat recently, really, that life shifted for both of us, and I decided to amend our long-standing house rules...

I wrote about the circumstances leading up to this event - and leading Oscar onto the bed - in an autumn issue of the Somerville, MA-based arts publication, Inkseed, and while the full text is too long to post here, the accompanying illustration (above) and following excerpt should nicely sum up what has become a heartfelt topic for both Oscar and I.

"And then it happened. At the end of a particularly long, anxious day, with all traces of order seemingly evaporated, I looked at him, looking at me… the evening hour paused… and I asked Oscar up onto the bed. 

If there is such a thing as a doggie double take, that was Oscar’s response. Incredulous, wary of being fooled into a trap, and listening to all his years of training to the contrary, he resisted (which mere months ago would have earned him a cookie on the spot). But I had made up my mind, and repetitious reassurances finally got him to leap up.

He likely spent that backwards night just waiting for the jig to be up; a dog that typically snores through even rugged nudges, his great head would pop up nervously every time I shifted. But I - like a lonely puppy in it’s first night crated solo will snuggle into the beating heart of a blanketed alarm clock - I wrapped an arm over him and let the steady metronome of Oscar’s breathing focus my own. I had broken a rule six years faithfully upheld, but in the midst of a great, grueling sea change, leaving the predictable in the past seemed imperative to moving forward.

...Over time, a new nighttime pattern took shape. There were kinks to work out, of course: invisible boundaries were determined to contain “sleeping dog sprawl”; a bed cover was appropriated to keep gritty paws off beloved quilts; and adherence to a new rule - dogs OFF the bed when the human rises in the morning - was required practice. But this novel routine was all ours, it belonged exclusively to Oscar and I, and tucking myself in beside velvet ears and the occasional groan of a beast settling into sleep became a beacon of comfort at the end of each day. Likewise, when anxiety gripped my chest tightly enough to startle me from sleep way ahead of my alarm each morning, I had a grounding wire to reach for beside me. My restless fidgets were met with sleepy brown eyes, and a yawn full of teeth who’s only concern was the hour of breakfast."

Change can be so good for the soul... All that being said - Oscar is not permitted to share the covers with me every night - nor does he want to! Amusingly, he has been known to refuse an invitation, in favor of his own (quite lavish) sleeping arrangement. I suppose, if dogs really do take after their owners, the battle of two bed hogs wears on the both of us sometimes...

Giving Thanks (for Oscar Dog)

Pretty much everyone who has ever met Oscar has promptly joined his fanclub. Even the people whose picnics he has ruined (yes, that's 'picnics', plural); even the ones he has grumbled at startled the socks off of on first meeting; probably most especially those that work for weeks and months, slipping treats and cooing compliments, to finally win a nuzzle or friendly tail wag... see, the only way to enter this guy's circle is to earn it. But oh, how you'll want to earn it. Behind the intimidating 95lbs of dog, there's a softness to his eyes - a pensive, soulful depth. This Beast has PRESENCE - and it's magnetic. I will take credit for keeping him healthy, happy, obscenely well-fed, and in good company nearly 24hrs a day, but let me make something clear: when you see us strolling the sidewalks, I'm with him. (*This statement has nothing to do with leash-training and everything to do with attitude.)

I had little idea that such a complex character would devlop from the Buddha-bellied little puppy I brought home nearly nine years ago, though one thing is certainly clear: I wouldn't be anywhere near the joyful thrill-ride I'm on now if it weren't for this sweet Beast... and for that, every day, I am grateful.

Here's wishing you, dear readers, a day of peace, indulgence and wholehearted celebration, in thanks for all of your beloveds and sweet Beasts...


Oscar is, as you see, rather easy on the eyes, but few have captured him through a camera lens as beautifully as the talented Kimberly Wang (brilliant photographer, storyteller and fellow dog-blogger) - her careful eye is behind all the photos in this post - she's even photographed me (below) photograhing the Beast... *Did I mention I also count blessings for my tremendously creative crew of friends?

Spring Projects in Print!

Remember those exciting print projects I mentioned in an earlier post? It is my great pleasure to unveil the following two dog-related features that officially hit newsstands and mailboxes this May: An illustrated recipe spread (art and text by yours truly) in none other than glorious The Bark* magazine; and an illustrated essay in the premier breed magazine for the Rhodesian Ridgeback world - The Ridgeback Register!** Both of these projects were absolute joys to complete, and I send a heartfelt thanks to Bark editor, Cameron Woo, and Ridgeback Register editor, Denise Flaim, for the opportunities.

*Why YES - that IS Oscar Dog in The Bark spread, inching off the picnic blanket and salivating over the Big Dog Burger and Liver Cracker Bun! I couldn't very well illustrate a recipe page without testing out these treats myself, so Oscar stepped up and volunteered his discerning palette for a few rounds of "canine test kitchen" - one such exercise easily became the focus of this year's birthday celebration...

**The Ridgeback Register is a subscription only publication, so you'll have to be "in the Rhodie know" to catch my work there - The Bark, however, has national distribution and can be found in most major bookstores or large newsstands, so if you're looking for a phenomenal collection of all things contemporary dog culture - hot-foot it to your nearest book seller!

The Return of Ice Cream and O-Town

Gosh golly - it's been too long!! What a disgrace... I mean, really... we were plodding along just fine - stumbling through snow storms and city adventures, cookie-baking and DIY projects... and then, *just like that*, life got crazy and two whole months flew by without a post!! What on earth, you ask, could have kept the Beast from flexing his dog-blog skillz and celebrity clout for so terribly long? In a word - this shameful suspension was squarely on me. And I take full responsability for the deliquency - BUT, I promise my distractions were worthwhile, many of them were in fact entirely related to the content of this blog and will be shared in short order.

For starters: 1. Oscar helped me wrap up another thrilling semester of teaching (fellow teachers - nothing boosts your status in front of a room full of teenagers like the presence of a large, too-cool-for-school hound). 2. Dove-tailing with the grand end of the spring semester, I was uber-fortunate to be involved in multiple print illustration projects - two of which appeared in major canine publication! (more on this in an upcoming post) 3. In between grading art projects and working into the wee hours to meet my print deadlines, I had the pleasure of collaborating with one of my studio besties (a videographer with an eagle-eye for story-telling) on a short "day in the life"-type featurette. Not only did a cheerful 4-minute video result, but Oscar made his film debut! 4. Oh yeah, and - despite dirty looks from the Beast everytime I laced up my trainers for a long solo run - I ran the Boston Marathon this year... so pretty much all of my non-work hours were spent pounding pavement around our fair city...


Topping off such a corral full of awesome preoccupations, just last Saturday, this very blog was chosen as the winner of the Best New Blog at the "Nose to Nose Pet Blogging & Social Media Awards" (the culmination of the fifth annual BlogPaws Conference, held this year in Virginia). Wow. Oscar and I could not be more honored!

So you see, dear readers, we haven't thrown in the towel and abandoned your sweet selves, nor have we found ourselves lacking in worthy content to share - nay, we just needed a wee break to catch up. An expansive summer recess is before us (as evidenced above by Oscar's first ice cream of the season), and our regularly scheduled posting will resume this week. Look for another post - with proper content, free of excuses and self-shaming - this Thursday - so stay tuned!

*It's good to be back...

Shutterpup: Ty Foster Photography

Thankfully (for the breed) Rhodesian Ridgebacks are still unusual enough that it's a special day when I come across one out in public. Even more unusual is the chance discovery of a fellow creative who also considers a Ridgeback among the world's best artistic muses. I stumbled onto the fine work of Connecticut photographer, Ty Foster, through a flickr album of his handsome and humorous RR, Tech. One enthusiastic photo comment led to an email conversation, and this fall Ty was able to swing by the studio in between client shoots to grab an impromptu session with the Beast and I. It was an honor and a treat, and the proof of Ty's dedication to his craft is clear in the resulting images... 


I'm not a real fan of the camera (as if it weren't painfully obvious), but Oscar - in true Ridgeback fashion - looked like a cool million dollars in every frame... once again... as usual. From the inside of the studio, to the afternoon sun of the loading dock, this dog just doesn't take a bad photo... And the combination of clear skies and great venue made for a thoroughly successful event. *If you peruse Ty's online portfolio, you'll see he has a real fascination with weathered, worn and otherwise distressed industrial objects and architecture - thus the Fringe facade made for a stellar backdrop...


To see more of Ty's beautiful dog portraits, check out his online portfolio at TyFoster.com, or have a peek at his blog of current projects (he's working on a pretty crazy-cool series right now called "Dogs Ink" - I won't ruin the surprise by describing the theme!). And if you want to meet the infamous Tech - he's got his very own (almost) flickr album...

And in the spirit of collaboration and shared inspiration, today, dear readers, you can find a sister post, featuring an illustrated feature by yours truly over on Ty's blog! Having used Oscar for his own photographic inspiration last month, Ty gave me the green light to use Tech as the subject of an inked portrait of my own design... I wasn't able to meet the smooth criminal himself this time around, but I had AMPLE amazing reference to work from - a sneak peek is below - to see the rest, rock on over to TyFoster.com!

 

Big Beach Baby

No one in this house likes getting up early, but the rewards are generally worth it. Case in point: jumping in the car at 6:30am in order to avoid hours of typical summer stop-and-go traffic on the one road that leads to the Cape. Bringing us allllll the way out to Truro (just 20 min or so from Provincetown - the very tippy-tip end of the penninsula) was the chance to meet and learn from the brilliant Bay Area photographer, Jesse Freidin. I first learned about Jesse via his trend-sploding Doggie Gagga Project in 2010. I've been keeping tabs on his fine work since then, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity when I saw he was teaching a workshop so (relatively) close to home, at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill (we only audited one day of his 5-day course).


Jesse's workshop was on basic photography and canine portraiture. I'm no stranger to taking nice pics of dogs, but learning from pros is ALWAYS an inspiring experience, and Jesse didn't dissappoint. My only regret - not meeting the dapper Pancake! Next time...

After our day of test shots and aperature experimentation, Oscar and I did what most people do when they visit the Cape - we hit the beach (and because "we" were a human and a dog, we did so with some amount of difficulty - the Cape Cod seashore is NOT terribly friendly to canines - especially during the peak summer season, and most beaches will only allow on-leash access before 8 or 9am, and after 5 or 6pm... harumph). By 5pm, Oscar was POOPED. The poor kid stayed standing for a bit, but between the exhaustion of driving all morning, modeling all afternoon, and then finding himself on a patch of warm, soft, sea-scented sand, squinty-eyes turned into a full-on nap in no time.


 
All in all, a very long, but very beautiful day with my boy. Beach-going difficulty aside, I'm already scheming about how and when to zip back to the land of salt marshes and killer-good seafood (Wellfleet - your Littlenecks are AMAZING)... And if you're planning a trip to the Cape with your dog, here are some additional links with useful information (and the all-important list of "NOs", to keep you from racking up $50 fines): CapeCodPets.com (lots of good, general Cape canine info), InsideCapeCod.com, OnCape.com (listing of hours & fees by town) & Ptown.org (we only did a drive-by, but from the sounds of it, Provincetown leads the way in dog-friendly logistics).

Working Like a Dog

Hey now - this Friday, the 22nd of June, is the 13th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day! To be perfectly honest, I'm of the mind that it takes a very special combination of the right kind of dog, the best kind of owner/handler, and an appropriate work environment in order for such a day to be a success (and I have seen even the most seemingly smooth scenarios deteriorate into barking frenzies in the ears of clients and urine stains on expensive conference room furniture...) - BUT, as a dog owner and principal of my own one-woman studio (where all species are welcome), I wouldn't go a day without O-Town on the clock with me, and if I've got 24 hours to officially celebrate how much he brings to my work-life, I'll TAKE IT.

I work out of a pretty darn amazing studio full of creative entrepreneurs in Somerville, MA called Fringe. Each member operates his/her/their own individual business, but the group environment is a treasure of inspiration, motivation, and shared knowledge. I count myself exceptionally fortunate to be a part of this unique community, and I'm not the only one who recognizes how special it is. Last winter, Fringe was featured in an article in the Improper Bostonian, all about collaborative working spaces... Naturally, when the magazine sent over a photographer, Oscar-dog stole the spotlight. The image above is by talented Improper photographer, Heather McGrath, and it ran in a Feb 2012 issue (you can read the article online). *Check out Oscar's ears... if you enjoy reading body language, you can see that even with that intense forward gaze - as he's put himself between mum and the stranger with the flashbulb - he is simultaneously keeping tabs on me, listening for a cue, out of that left ear. Such a good boy...

It should be noted, Oscar is also such a LAZY boy. How lazy? You be the judge - below is a selection of drawings illustrating a typical day's work for the Great Lazy Lump. This week's swealtering temps didn't help, but seriously, this dog could give a sloth a nap for it's money. (More sweetly sleeping Oscar drawings can be found here.) 



If you're planning to take your pupper to the office for the first time this fine friday, you might want to read this handy list of tips from our pals over at the Bark, to make the experience a good one for all parties involved. And if you're like me, among the fortunate few who get to spend every day listening to a snoring 4-legged companion at their feet - perhaps an extra afternoon walk is in order... I guarantee it'll make the dog's day - and probably yours as well.