Art History Volume One.....

Often imitated by never duplicated here is the masterpiece "A Poker Game" by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. This wonderful painting was recently sold at auction and garnered a magnificent $658,00 for this seminal work of Americana. Look at the breath of detail. The expression of the doggies as they fold and raise. The heavy heart of the pooch in the middle seat who obviously thought he could catch an ace on the river. It is sublime and fabulous.

Another favorite of mine is "A Waterloo" which adds to the magnificent oeuvre of this American genius.

This painting is justly famous for the presence of a Hollywood luminary who agreed to sit for the portrait. Taking time out from saving Timmie from the well and licking the peanut butter smeared inner thighs of June Lockhart, Lassie made her debut in fine art. It was indeed a long sitting so Coolidge provided opium which resulted in the most relaxed visages you see in this magnifcent portrait.

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge who was also know as Kash Coolidge for his skill in marketing his creations had a long and productive relationship with an advertising company named Brown and Bigelow which had him designing and creating ads, calendars and other pieces of Americana that we treasure to this day. His masterpieces of course are his series of canine card players that are without peer in the current misbegotten art scene.

Of course the communist academics that pontificate today have ignored and trashed this great artist because of his status a white man and only mention him grudgingly as the great grandfather of the noted pugilist Cassius Marcellus  Clay who became famous under an assumed name. So to this very day his genius has gone unappreciated by all save the people The people who love him. The same people who love God, Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. The people who love Donald Trump.

In other words Real Americans.

President Trump sends ICE agents to Westminster Kennel Club Show.

Hilarity ensued.

He scared the piss out of them.

Dog post

Dog takes a bullet for owner

View post on imgur.com

Coping strategery

Our puppy "hides" from us when he breaks a rule.

Bored child waiting in line

Men who live as dogs.....well you can make your own jokes!

The Guardian, May 25, 2016 by Nell Fizzell

It’s easy to laugh at a grown man in a rubber dog suit chewing on a squeaky toy. Maybe too easy, in fact, because to laugh is to dismiss it, denigrate it – ignore the fact that many of us have found comfort and joy in pretending to be animals at some point in our lives.

Secret Life of the Human Pups is a sympathetic look at the world of pup play, a movement that grew out of the BDSM community and has exploded in the last 15 years as the internet made it easier to reach out to likeminded people. While the pup community is a broad church, human pups tend to be male, gay, have an interest in dressing in leather, wear dog-like hoods, enjoy tactile interactions like stomach rubbing or ear tickling, play with toys, eat out of bowls and are often in a relationship with their human “handlers”.

Crusoe & Oakley Dachshund Play Ball Hockey

Link to story

Via AllenS

"Dog Lost At Sea And Presumed Dead..."

"Found Alive On San Clemente Island 5 Weeks Later" (video at the link)

Luna, a 1½-year-old, blue-eyed German Shepherd, was presumed to have died after falling overboard from a commercial fishing boat near San Clemente Island on Feb. 20, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Owner Nick Haworth and search teams combed the area for days after his dog’s mysterious disappearance, but had no luck. By Feb. 20, Haworth paid tribute to Luna with a mournful Facebook post.

But miraculously, Luna appears to have swum ashore on San Clemente Island and survived for weeks on the island’s natural offerings. She was discovered on a roadside by Navy service members.

We interrupt this tornado coverage...

Tornado coverage suddenly interrupted. pic.twitter.com/uqA3vO1PdY

— Car Crash TV (@Crashingtv) March 11, 2016

"This is mine now peasant"

View post on imgur.com

What is the value of a dog?

"Death of Lola the dachshund leads to thorny legal question"

Lola was a little hound of questionable pedigree who slept like a human, her head on the pillow and her body under the covers. She was jealous of laptop computers, because she was a laptop dog.

The mixed-breed dachshund was 8 years old when she died of renal failure. Lola’s owners allege that a popular Atlanta dog kennel gave Lola medication she wasn’t supposed to receive, ultimately leading to her death. The owners have sued, and that’s why this sad case with its very thorny question will come before the state’s highest court on Tuesday.

Lola

Dogs make terrible "refugees"

View post on imgur.com

"The headrest didn't come with instructions"

A question of priorities

Golden Retriever Really Wants To Race But.. First Things First.

Oregon Supreme Court: Animals Can Legally Be Considered Victims, Just Like Humans

"The Oregon Supreme Court this month passed a landmark ruling that will change the way animals are treated under the law in the state for the better. The ruling will ensure that any animal can be seen as a legal “victim” in a case, affording animals more basic rights to protect them from abuse."

The ruling was made on the case of a man who was convicted of starving 20 horses and goats on his property. The judge’s decision allotted a separate count of second-degree animal neglect for each animal, noting that each animal was a separate victim on his own.

The distinction might sound obvious — but it wasn’t legally accepted at the time that Arnold Nix, the defendant, was first convicted in 2009. During his case, Nix argued that the law defines animals as the property of their owners, so the word “victim” shouldn’t apply to them. As of this month’s hearing, the word “victim” does apply. (The Dodo)

Is this ruling a further erosion of property rights?
If animals are no longer to be considered property, who speaks for them?

"A Google Street View Car May Have Run Over A Dog In Chile"

"When your job is to drive a car down every street on the planet, taking photos to create a map of everything on earth, you're probably going to accidentally hit some animals who dart out in front of you."


a dog appears

and then disappears (blurred image)

re-appears hurt by the side of the road

"We (BI) asked Google for comment and we'll update this story if we hear back."

"things humans do that dogs hate"

"Dogs try to be our best friends, but boy do we ever make it difficult sometimes. Here are some of the things we do that might make dogs question whether they want to remain best buds or cut ties completely."

Using words more than body language
We’re a vocal species. We love to chatter away, even at our pets, who can’t understand the vast majority of what we’re saying. Dogs might be able to deduce what a few key words mean — walk, treat, toy, off — and maybe even learn hundreds of words as some border collies have done. But they can’t understand human language.

Hugging your dog
While you might love wrapping your arms around a furry canine friend, most dogs hate hugs. We as primates think hugs are awesome and express support, love, joy and other emotions through hugs. It’s
totally normal to us to wrap our arms around something and squeeze, and it only means good things. But dogs did not evolve this way.

Not providing structure and rules
Dogs want, need, and love having rules. You might think having strict rules makes life boring or unhappy for your dog. But dogs really want to know what’s what according to their leader. And really, it’s not so hard to relate as humans.

Going for walks without opportunity to explore and smell
There are walks, and there are walks. It’s definitely important to have a dog that knows how to walk obediently on a leash. However, it’s also important to allow a dog to have some time to explore her surroundings while walking obediently on a leash. Dogs see with their noses, and they place as much importance on their sense of smell as we humans place on our sense of vision for interpreting the world around us.

Instapundit: "If you want to meet women, buy a French Bulldog. If you want to meet men, buy a Great Dane"

"As I approached four years as a widow, the loneliness of a one-person household began to drag me down. Acquiring a four-legged companion, rather than a two-legged one, appealed to me."

And so, in February, I adopted a 5-month-old puppy, a hypoallergenic Havanese small enough for me to pick up and carry, even into my ninth decade, when I travel to visit family and friends.

Havanese

While most dog owners I know encouraged my decision, several dogless friends thought I had lost my mind. How, with all my work, travels and cultural events, was I going to manage the care of a dog?

No one asked this when I decided to have children. In fact, few people consider in advance how children will fit into their lives. If you want a child badly enough, you make it work. (read more)

How Dogs react to magic trick

Jonah Goldberg: 'Best dog video I've seen in a while'

"Out: House-flipping, In: Dog-flipping?"

(KSDK) "Criminals are finding a new way to make money on other people's pets. They're flipping pets, and it's happening across the country."

Flipping is stealing a pet and reselling it on places like Craigslist, Facebook, Ebay and other websites. Victims across the country said they tried to file police reports to report their pets stolen but many couldn't. Law enforcement agencies wouldn't take the report.

In Indianapolis, a full-time officer is hunting down the flippers and charging them.

Farrah Fazal, KSDK via Dr Helen (headline) via Instapundit  (Video at the KSDK Link)