Putting the Arf in Art!

As we were searching for potential cover images for this month’s issue, it quickly became apparent that dogs are everywhere in art. Over centuries, artists have captured them peeking in from the edge of a canvas, hogging space in the middle of a carpet, begging for food at the table of a still life, or sleeping peacefully at the foot of a rumpled bed. When they’re depicted with humans - whether holy beings, domestic servants, queens, or concubines - dogs often appear to echo the emotions of the human subject. Other times, they’re intentionally placed to symbolize faithfulness or other well-known canine traits. In art as in life, dogs are our shepherds and our muses on this earthly plane.

In keeping with this month’s art theme, Juanita MORE! shares images created by a raft of SF artists featuring her dear departed dog Jackson, still on public display throughout the city. Author and trainer Cydni True provides a fascinating art history lesson tracking canine muses through the ages. One of our favorite veterinarians/playwrights, Dr. Alan Stewart, previews current and upcoming theatrical productions involving dogs and other animals onstage. And Dr. Ken Gorczyca offers a heartfelt contemplation on the art of memory and why we keep painting the dogs we love.

Elsewhere in the issue, if your own dog is dabbling in abstract expressionism (a.k.a. total destruction of your household when you’re gone), you’ll definitely want to read Trish King’s piece about when it’s separation anxiety - and when it’s not. Sara Scott shares tips for training amid the inevitable distractions in Good Dog!. Trainer turned mediator, Angela Gardner, weighs in with best practices on handling dog custody when human partners separate in The Monthly Woof. Animal Commissioner Michael Angelo Torres spills the tea on rodenticides and artificial turf on the commission’s upcoming docket. And Nose for News, Mr. Smarty Pants, and Red and Howling put the finishing brush strokes on our May offerings.

Finally, this issue wouldn’t be complete without images from some of our favorite museums that generously share their collections in the public domain. Thank you to The Met, the National Gallery, and the J. Paul Getty Museums for making these artworks more accessible to all.

Spending one’s life in the company of dogs means we’re never short of creative sparks - or messes to clean up. May our live-in muses continue to help us find beauty and love in our everyday world. 

– Rocket and the Bay Woof pack
Publisher, Bay Woof

cover: Woman with Collie (1890), John Singer Sargent, ©The Met