OUR FOUR-LEGGED BEASTS

Who do we turn to for unconditional love, a wet kiss or sweet purr at the end of a rough day? Our cats and dogs are always there for us, and I ask myself what I wouldn't do for my own beastie, Rocky the pug.
Rocky was a street dog, found roaming on the South Side of Chicago. He had to fight for every scrap, and still runs to garbage cans even though his life is plush. He fends off his attacking tail, that we've named ykcoR (Rocky backwards), with ferocious growls and snaps. He's had several owners and been back to the rescue organization twice. When I first met him he was supposed to be my third foster pug. I would keep him for a while until someone came along and adopted him. My first two foster pugs went to their forever homes after only a month, but one look at Rocky, bald patches on his skin, swollen red feet and mange in his ears, and frankly not such a pretty face like most pugs, I knew he wasn't going anywhere but HERE. Yes, a "failed" foster parent, I adopted him and worked with an integrative vet to quell his skin allergies, and with lots of training and consistent rules and regs, he began to get the picture that this home would be forever, he would get two squares a day, long walks and always sleep in a warm place. He's turned around in just one year, and was the star performer at his agility class!
My love for animals started long before Rocky, and that's a story for another time, but pets
and indeed all animals, have inspired me for a long time, so portraying them in my art was a natural next step.
--- Martha