Of Art, Abductions, and Putting a Price on Pups
A mosaic “Beware of Dog” sign from Casa di Orfeo in Pompeii, circa 55 AD.
Google the phrase “dogs in art,” and you’ll see a billion results (1,150,000,000, to be exact). Depictions of man’s best friend run the gamut from cave paintings to mosaics found in the ruins of Pompeii, to dynamic hunting scenes, to the ubiquitous Dogs Playing Poker series by Cassius “Kash” Coolidge. You’ll find three-dimensional dog art in glass, wood, ceramics, bronze, marble, textiles, collage, furniture…you name it. And of course dogs of all shapes and sizes have starred in multiple movies and television shows.
All that to say, there’s no shortage of dogs in art. We love looking at dogs!
It’s possible dogs may also like looking at art. In 2015, British artist and visual designer Dominic Wilcox created the world's first art exhibition for dogs.“This innovative show featured art hung at dog eye level and interactive sculptures such as a 12-foot wide food bowl filled with brown play balls to represent kibble. The exhibition was a hit, as evidenced by subsequent art shows for dogs, including a 2019 show curated by Facebook. (It’s unclear whether there were any pieces by Andy Warhowl.)
But back to dogs in art. Of course, no discussion would be complete without mentioning the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog. In addition to its extensive permanent art collection, this New York attraction offers innovative interactive experiences including “Find Your Match,” where visual recognition software will match your photo with the breed you most resemble. If you can’t make it there for an in-person visit, most of the museum’s extensive permanent collection is viewable online.
While not everyone would consider it art, the internet is also a never-ending source of dog memes, cute dog photos or videos, and all sorts of customizable dog-related items. If you’re so inclined, you can have your dog’s face printed on a t-shirt, a coffee mug, or a calendar. While a hoodie with a photo of a pug captioned “Pug Life” might not end up at the Metropolitan Museum, I’d argue that it’s still an art form of sorts. Things don’t have to be highbrow to be called art - and luckily, we’re all free to love whatever type of art brings us joy.
Our dogs bring us joy, too, which is why recent news stories about the increase in violent pet theft in the Bay Area have been so distressing. This is a national issue exacerbated by the pandemic and it seems that French bulldogs, which have a high resale value, are most frequently targeted. In one highly publicized case, the stolen Frenchie was never recovered. In another case, a missing Frenchie was later found in Mexico, where he’d been sold to an unsuspecting buyer.
The serious topic of companion animal abductions was first raised at the March meeting of the Animal Commission by Commissioner Brian Van Horn, who is the only practicing vet serving on the commission. Until Dr. Van Horn brought it to the commission’s attention, I hadn’t realized how little recourse a devastated guardian has when their animal companion is stolen. In California, as in many other states, dogs are considered property, and what happens after they’re stolen is based on their presumed monetary value. If a dog is worth over $950, stealing it is grand theft. If the value is under $950, the crime is considered to be petty theft, a misdemeanor.
To be fair, there are some differences in how animals are treated as opposed to other types of property. In the nearly 20 years since San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that added the word “guardian” as a complement to “owner” in the SF Health Code, the concept of animal “personhood” has gained some amount of traction. But, for now at least, if the dog is recovered and the perpetrator is caught, the thief will probably face few repercussions unless the theft was particularly violent.
It's easy enough to put value on a tangible piece of art, whether it’s a Rembrandt, a personalized tote bag from Zazzle, or “Poker Game” from the Dogs Playing Poker series, which sold for $658,000 at auction in 2015. But the deep emotional bonds we forge with our companion animals cannot be assigned a dollar value. To paint it with broad brushstrokes, the law places value on the animal as a thing, not as an irreplaceable sentient being.
I think it’s high time we reframed that narrative. Don’t you?
The San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare (Animal Commission) meets on the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm. As of April 2022, meetings are still being held virtually over WebEx. Details at https://sfgov.org/animals