painting

I've just discovered a wonderful idea that artist Elizabeth Ellis has
come up with. She's called it The Year of 52 Rescues, and throughout
2015 she'll be painting a picture of one adoptable animal who is
currently in a shelter. The hope is that this will help the animal find
a home, and will also shine a light on the plight of animals waiting
for their forever home.

You may remember in Episode 91 of DogCast Radio we ran a competition to win Ziggy the painting dog goodies. We announced the winners in episode 94 and you can see Elizabeth and Ziggy's video blog about it and show what the prizes were above. Thanks to them for putting up the goodies, and I hope Ziggy is inspired to paint many more masterpieces. Elizabeth was wonderful to interview, and if you'd like to know how Ziggy started painting and what his working methods are, do give that interview a listen.

In Episode 50 of DogCast Radio there's an interview with Angela Mitchell about her book Your First Great Dane. This book was inspired by her experiences with her own Great Danes, and now she's written another book about the breed she loves. Here's what she says about it:

"'Two Great Danes' is the follow-up to my successful book 'Your First Great Dane', and is once again a humorous 'tell it like it 'is' account of life with, this time, 2 Great Danes in my house. And along with some more handy hints and tips, because of Bob's hugely different character to Hovis, there are many more laugh out loud moments which I hope the readers will enjoy. Although it is very much a 'stand alone' book, it does read better after having enjoyed 'Your First Great Dane'."

So if you are a Great Dane fan, or you know someone who is, check out Two Great Danes at the Parapress site.

Are you looking for ways to make money amid the credit crunch? Well get a canvas and a paintbrush and let your dog make money for you. A Pekingese called Ziggy, who lives in California is doing just that. His owner straps a paintbrush to a cardboard tube, Ziggy grasps it between his teeth and creates a masterpiece. There's a photo of his work at that link, and to be honest I think it's quite good. Definitely comparable to some modern art! (In my humble opinion, as they say.)

Each painting can sell for up to £170. I don't know what that is in dollars, and I suspect in the current financial climate it's probably about 5 Euros (oooh - satire!) but whatever currency you put it in, it's a lot for doggy daubings. The trouble is our two would probably just chew up the cardboard tube, then the paint brush, and then have a good go at eating the paint. And have you ever tried washing acrylics out of a white Bichon Frise coat? Maybe it's not for us. Pity though.

Another story that caught my eye was that of a dwarf - I'm sorry if that's not a PC word, but it's the term used in the headlines - in Wales, UK who got lost in a forest in Snowdonia. She was lost over night, and only the warmth of her dog saved her from hypothermia. The dog was a Chihuahua. Is it very wrong of me to love that story? - little person saved by little dog. The lady - and dog - in question are safely back at home, and I'm just glad all went well for them.

Take care,

Julie x