Everyone at our house has a BFA. Mine is in Photography, She Who Must Be Obeyed acquired one in 2D Design. Bunny caught one in Costume Design/Theater, and El Diablo has her BFA in Industrial Design. When we do our yearly Holiday card, ideas bounce off the walls for weeks until something good lands and sticks on paper. It is a bunch of fun.
Our two dogs, Speck and Dot do not have BFAs, but they are sculptors. These rescue hounds are heavily interested in language, communications and the performing arts along with sculpture. Their pedigree comes from being part Dachshund, and in Specks case Mini Pinscher. Ms. Dot has some Pit Bull roots, from what we can tell. Both are lovely dogs with humans. Their Dachshund lineage encourages them to warn their humans of any imminent threat, either real or imagined. Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, erratically moving leaves, mile high aircraft, other dogs as well as rabbits are deemed threats to their family. We are well warned at over 100 decibels of any impending attacks.
Speck watches for hours out of the dining room window standing on his kiddie chair so that he can see out, waiting for any of these despicable threats to appear. He tactically moves to the couch in the family room to secure the backside of our estate at internally designated intervals. Dot strategically saves her energy and sleeps so she is fully rested and prepared to ward off any attack once Speck sounds the alarm. When they both freak out, we install their bark collars in an effort to save our hearing and sanity.
By the angle of the sun our dogs know when the neighbors intend to walk their dogs. At this point in time Speck and Dot both take up positions at the dining room window. As far as I can tell, the dogs interpret any movement on the street as an uber high level threat and we are warned of this with a cacophony of barking and modern dance performed with great exuberance.
As I was writing the last paragraph, Speck had been diligently watching for threats out the front window. He warned me of the potential danger posed by a man pushing a red perambulator down the street with the man’s young offspring inside. The man did have a hat on. Is this cause for alarm? Was the color red important? They were now walking away from the house. Should I check for a bomb? I am trying to learn the danger signs that the dogs see so that I can accurately determine threats when I am away from the dogs. This could be a big deal, and Homeland Security would surely be interested.
It is beautiful sunny 60º Minnesota day. Earlier, I carefully ventured out into the dogs back yard sculpture garden. My goal was to view and critique the work that they had created this past winter. Their efforts were voluminous and every one of their sculptures were unique. Each dog’s style and presentation was discernible. Dot’s body of work overshadowed Speck’s. Her use of shape and texture, positioning, not to mention the size of her art works, plus how prolific she was, swayed my vote her way.
Speck never seemed to have created as many works of art as Dot did. Or did he? Did Dot cheat and surreptitiously eat some of Specks work when we were not looking? I don’t really want to know, nor let her lick my face.
I grabbed the tiny shovel and a gallon milk jug to carefully pack up the dog’s winter sculpture show. The art was then gently put it into the large green shipping container, ready to be picked up by the men on Monday, for its installation at the gallery. I was later informed by She Who Must Be Obeyed that three prior shipments had allready been sent and the curators were waiting for the final pieces to arrive so that they could archive all of the dogs works for for future generations to enjoy.
Later this afternoon, now that their studio has been cleared of old projects, Speck and Dot will start sculpting again. They want to be ready for the opening of their spring art extravaganza entitled: “Land Mines”.
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