A Few Words on Barbaro

It is certainly sad news to hear that Barbaro, who had brought so much hope and joy to the racing world, had to suffer so much, only to be euthanized in the end. He was a horse full of power and class. Few are of that caliber and we as humans just thrive on that type of energy.

I would like to comment on a few negative things I heard in the media. First, there is the belief that the effort to save this horse was purely for the money that his offspring might bring in breeding. If you know anything about horse racing you know that only live semen is acceptable. A horse with this type of injury would never be able to "perform" that type of duty. Sure his owners and caregivers could have hope but the odds of that were slim to none. Second, there have been comments that racing in general is cruel. Again, if you have ever worked around the majestic thoroughbred, you would know that these animals were meant to run. Stand next to one that has been brought to the race track for racing and it is like watching a boxer getting ready to go into the ring. There is nothing like it. Just as in every sport, there is ugliness in horse racing. Man has tried to chemically improve on every sort of athlete from baseball players, cyclists to race horses. That is sad but the sport of kings should not be held responsible for this behavior alone. Lastly, I have seen mention that horses should just be left to be horses. Do these people mean to say that horses should be left in the wild? If so, don't they realize there is pain there as well from starvation, untreated injuries, being hunted or worse yet being hit by lightening. Man has domesticated this animal and needs to take care of his charge. I was not for the surgery on Barbaro because I knew the slim chance this horse had. However, I have great hopes that much was learned in the process and that many other horses will benefit from his 8 month struggle to live.

My eBay auction for an 8x10 pet portrait ends this evening. Please check it out and bid. This would make a great Valentine's Day gift for your pet lover.

A quick note to my friends and family to thank them on their well wishes concerning my last treatment. You all made the process so much easier with your kind words and prayers. Thank you all.

Gracie's Face and Ebay Offer

Everyone always asks me if I have any paintings of my Gracie. Nope. The shoemaker's kids have no shoes. I did do this little sketch of her today out of guilt. Actually I drew her face out of love. She's been such a good girl these days I couldn't imagine being without her. Don't ask me how I felt about her a few months ago.

I haven't had an Ebay auction in a long time. Well, as of 8pm these evening that will change. For the first time ever I will make an exclusive offer on Ebay. I am auctioning a custom graphite pet portrait, 8"x10" with mat on archival paper, for the very low starting bid of $99. This size and price is only available on Ebay and not from my main site. I do not plan to auction a portrait at this special price often. So, now is a unique opportunity to commission me to create a lasting memory of your beloved pet. Tell your friends and family and bid, bid, bid!

Puppy Attitude

If you have loved a pet you know the look. Your pet takes something of yours and refuses to return it to you all the while giving you "that look". The "you can have it and I dare you to take it" look. I'm playing around with ideas for the painting I'm doing for CPL and their wine auction. I'm required to use an image of a Labrador Retriever. This is from an image my dear artist friend Terri Amig sent me. If you have any photos of true Labrador Retriever dogs or puppies that I might be able to use, there is a free print of the finished work in it for you!

I have a bit of nonsense for a moment to share. Since I've had more time for evil television lately I've become addicted to cooking shows. I just have one question. Who is this Giada chick? Darn she is pretty. Wasn't Rachael Ray cute enough? C'mon guys, if we eat the food these beautiful ladies cook we would all end up looking like Paula Deen(bless her). These girls spit that food out into a bag when we aren't looking. Also, where are all the hot studs cooking? Mario Batali? I think not. Bobby Flay...ech. I'm outraged. I can't wait until I can stop subscribing to cable again. This is just too much to take. Now where is my EVOO?

Oh, one last thing, yes this sketch was dated with tomorrow's date. Oops. They call it "chemo-brain". I think I wasn't all there to begin with.

Deb Lynam...are you happy I posted again?

Can You Smell the Puppy Breath?

Melanie from Canine Partners for Life emailed me a picture of BeeLee, photographed in October, who is now a 7 month old lab puppy. I just had to take a few moments to do a little pen sketch of him. Don't you just love a puppy? They have such warm bellies and that sweet puppy breath that later turns into doggie breath of death. It did this heart good to think of their goodness for a bit so I thought I would share.