DROOL - Issue No. 5

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BY B I X B I — I S S U E N O. 5

HE MAKES MODERN ART IN SLOBBER ON MY CAR WINDOW. HE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Ja San Miguel

HE’S EASY TO TAKE CARE OF. HE’S GREAT COMPANY.

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Damn near perfect dogs deserve damn near perfect dog food.

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BY BIXBI—ISSUE NO. 5

EDITOR-IN -CHIEF

James Crouch

MANAGING EDITOR

Alynn Evans

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Chris Nelson

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

Justin Page COPY EDITOR

Christian Glazar PRODUCER

Shayan Asgharnia DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

John Webster

NO BAD IDEAS EDITORS

Rachel D’Agostino Melissa Van Vactor

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Kim Brophey, Alynn Evans, Alyssa Hurst, Chris Nelson, Elana Scherr, Kalen Thorien, Eric Weiner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Colin Chatfield, Elias Friedman, Chris Nelson, Devin Olsen, Konsta Punkka, Tayler Smith, Emmett Sparling, Kalen Thorien CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Christy and Hally Edwards-Cabral, Katty Huertas , Kazz Morohashi, Giordano Poloni, John Van Horn BIXBI Pet PO Box 7327 Boulder, CO 80306 303.666.1070 No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any shape or form without written consent from BIXBI. For general inquiries, story and photography submissions, contact us at droolideas@bixbipet.com. © 2021 copyright BIXBI Printed in the USA

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Issue No.

FIVE

8

“BULLDOGS AREN’T LAZY; THEY’RE JUST BORED DOING NORMAL DOG STUFF WHEN THEY COULD BE FLYING.” 24

40

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Dogs in the White House

The Dogist

Gus Boy

History of Basset Hounds

Do presidential pups have a political agenda?

The team behind this hugely popular Instagram page.

How an awesomely adventurous woman met her Aussie.

Long body, longer ears, little legs and doleful eyes.

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Canissance

2-Leg Trio

It's a whole new world for dogs.

Three heartwarming bipeds with one selfless owner.

On the Cover Bentley the bulldog loves flying in his dad’s helicopter. Their story, “A New View,” starts on page 8. Photograph by Konsta Punkka.

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Elias Friedman, founder of The Dogist, didn't know how much of an impact taking photos of dogs would have.

Learn more on page 40.

Caption here. Page 25.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

P

Perhaps the reason dogs inspire us is because they have no idea that they’re inspiring. They have no awareness of brilliance, they are not pressured to be insightful, and they do not hesitate to enjoy life to its fullest and be grateful for every moment. They delight us with their goofy tendencies, impress us with their keen senses, and even when they embarrass us by being a little too “dog” for this human world, they constantly find new ways to stir our souls.

In this issue of Drool, we meet Bentley, a bulldog who sits front and center in the cockpit of a soaring helicopter. We get to know Domenick Scudera and his three two-legged dogs, who bring joy and hope

to hospital patients. We go on epic adventures with Kalen Thorien and her Aussie puppy, Gus. We look back in time at the dogs that have slept on — and peed on — the floor of the Oval Office, and we peek into the lives of the people behind The Dogist, who found success by photographing everyday dogs as they walked along the streets of New York.

Dogs serve as muse to each and every one of us, and they are oblivious to it, which makes them even more inspiring.

Keep sniffing, James Crouch

SHE PLAYS WITH THE KIDS. SHE CUDDLES WITH THE CAT.

SHE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Victor Grabarczyk

MY FLIP FLOPS ARE HER FAVORITE TOY.

AWARD-WINNING. DELICIOUS FOOD. PERFECT TOPPER OR TREAT.

Dogs go crazy for 94-98% meat, organs and bones in bite sized pieces.

Damn near perfect dogs deserve a damn near perfect dog food, treat or topper.

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SOMETIMES BACKWARDS, AND SOMETIMES FROM ABOVE,

WORDS BY ELANA SCHERR

PHOTOGRAPHY B Y VA R I O U S

08 MR. BENTLEY THE BULLDOG IS ALL ABOUT GAINING FRESH PERSPECTIVES.

P H OTO G R A P H BY D E V I N O L S E N

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Glacial blue lakes ripple below and a green pine tunnel flits by on either side. Sharp snow-covered mountains move slowly right to left as the helicopter twists and angles in their shadows. All the elements of a good action movie are here: a little terror, an awesome beauty, and a brave hero. Only, instead of Tom Cruise or the newest hottie to shake a Bond martini, the star of this film is a short, chubby guy with wrinkles, saggy jowls, and a tendency to drool.

All of which is extremely handsome when you’re an English bulldog.

Our brave boy is Mr. Bentley. His Instagram account, @mrbentley_ thedog, shows him dressed up for holidays, looking cool in mirrored sunglasses, and protecting his floppy little ears with a dog-sized headset as he looks out over his world through the bubble of a Robinson R44 helicopter, flown by his good buddy, Bradley Friesen.

He clearly loves airtime, but flying isn’t Mr. Bentley’s only adventure.

Like any good action hero, he enjoys snowboarding, kayaking, paddleboarding, and riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle, all of which came as a bit of a surprise to his owner, Alycia Foy. “He's my first dog, and I was pretty set on an English bulldog, because I’d always heard they were lazy!”

She and Friesen both laugh, and I imagine I hear Mr. Bentley snort in the background too. Bulldogs

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aren’t lazy, they’re just bored doing normal dog stuff when they could be flying.

“We’d talked about if he would like flying,” says Friesen, who has been a pilot for almost 30 years.

“Bentley loves cars,” adds Foy. “If you even say the word ‘Car,’ he cocks his head completely sideways and runs to the door.

One time, we took him on a boat that was tied up at the dock, and we didn’t even go anywhere, and he loved it! He would drag us back to where the boat had been any time we walked near the water.”

Mr. Bentley’s obvious interest in motorized transport made Foy and Friesen wonder if he’d like going up in the helicopter.

“One day I had to move the helicopter — it was parked at one side of the airport, and I had to fly it to the other side for maintenance — so I figured, ‘It's only a twominute flight, let's try it,’” says Friesen. “We strapped him in and flew across the airport, and when he got out, he had the zoomies. He

Previous: That big bulldog grin. Mr. Bentley poses in his favorite place, the cockpit of a helicopter above the snowy Canadian mountains. Opposite: To protect his ears, Mr. Bentley wears a headset designed for dogs.

P H OTO G R A P H BY E M M E T T S PA R L I N G

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WE STRAPPED HIM IN AND FLEW ACROSS THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN HE GOT OUT, HE HAD THE ZOOMIES.

L E F T & TO P : P H OTO G R A P H S BY D E V I N O L S E N , R I G H T: P H OTO G R A P H BY E M M E T T S PA R L I N G

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Mr. Bentley flies with his human captain, Bradley Friesen, and there’s no doubt that he enjoys it. He knows he’s doing something special and he’s obviously proud of himself.

obviously had the best time, so we started taking him on longer trips after that.” In the cockpit, Mr. Bentley looks totally at ease, geared up in his safety harness, goggles and flight helmet like a real-life Snoopy ready to meet the Red Baron. He turns his head to follow the winding rivers and tree-lined ridges below, looking for moose, or bears, or squirrels.

Maybe living life at knee height makes rising above it all even more exciting.

As irresistible as a flying bulldog is, Mr. Bentley’s most famous move is ground-based, if not earthbound. He moonwalks, and he’s good at it. Down hallways, across kitchen floors, out the glossy foyer of a high-class hotel, Mr. Bentley slides his back paws like Michael Jackson and backwards-scoots to his destination. If it’s funny to read about, it’s downright hysterical to watch, but it wasn’t until he’d been doing it for years that Mr. Bentley’s moonwalk went stratospheric.

Because Mr. Bentley was Foy’s first dog, she didn’t realize that his reverse gear was anything unusual. “He just would do it based on his own weird dog logic,” she says. “I thought every dog did it.”

Then she started dating Friesen, who immediately recognized Mr. Bentley’s dance moves as s omething sp e cial. Frie s en suggested that Foy share the bulldog back-up with the world. “I was playing with him and throwing his toys, and he would pick it up and bring it back backwards,” says Friesen. “I thought she taught him to do it, but she said he just did it on

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Mr. Bentley’s well-known love of flying means that Friesen and Bentley have had many opportunities to fly with celebrities and in various kinds of ’copters.

P H OTO G R A P H S BY D E V I N O L S E N

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L E F T: P H OTO G R A P H BY E M M E T T S PA R L I N G , R I G H T: P H OTO G R A P H BY CO L I N C H AT F I E L D

D R O O L — I S SU E N O.5

Opposite: What could be more romantic than a moonlight flight with your favorite dog? Right: Air travel isn’t Mr. Bentley’s only form of transportation; here he goggles up and gets in a motorcycle sidecar.

his own. And then she said, ‘Why? Is that weird?’”

Foy can’t remember the exact moment that Mr. Bentley first showed off his moonwalk, but she thinks it had to do with her first apartment, when he was a puppy.

“It had a long, narrow hall, and we’d play fetch in it. He would be so excited to bring the ball back that he didn’t even take the time to turn around; he’d just back up so you could throw it again as fast as possible.” Later Mr. Bentley started using his back-up walk to keep an eye on things that

startled or confused him: big trash bags, shiny reflections, untrustworthy extension cords.

“I really have no idea what goes on in his head half the time,” says Foy with a fond chuckle.

Maybe it was the comic appeal of this little bulldozer of a dog going backwards, or maybe it was the relatability of finding a coping mechanism for free-floating anxiety, but when Friesen posted video of Mr. Bentley’s moonwalk to a Reddit forum around 2015, the clip went viral and the Instagram numbers rocketed. “I never

intended to start a famous dog account,” says Foy. “I only even made Mr. Bentley’s account so I could post puppy photos without people getting tired of seeing them on my personal account.” At this writing, Mr. Bentley has 452,000 followers, a YouTube channel, and a beer named for him, along with many celebrity friends all over the world. And it all started with his tail-forward trot.

Keeping Mr. Bentley safe on his adventures is the number one priority for Foy and Friesen, and they have a large collection

of dog-specific head, ear, and eye protection, as well as harnesses for flights and motorcycle rides. The secret weapon for bulldog health, though? Cucumbers. Friesen explains that short-nosed dogs like bulldogs can get easily dehydrated and “tend to gulp water, or they lie in the sun and forget to drink.”

Cucumbers, which are mostly water in a crunchy, delicious, portable form, are a great way to get any dog to rehydrate, and Mr. Bentley loves them. “We keep them in the fridge and it’s a perfect way to cool him down on a hot day.”

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It’s just easier to see the squirrels from up here. Forget the birds; for Mr. Bentley, the sights from above are always a dog’s-eye view.

Mr. Bentley’s love of the green fruit is so famous that a Canadian brewery came up with a cucumber beer and named it after him. Mr. Bentley’s Cucumber Sour is sold through Russell Brewing, and a portion of any proceeds go to charity. “I didn’t intend to have a famous dog,” reiterates Foy, and says that while she enjoys how happy Mr. Bentley makes people, and appreciates all the chances to travel and meet interesting individuals, she doesn’t want to be seen as using her pet to make a buck. “I don't know, it seems weird expecting money, and I don’t want to do any partnerships that aren’t relevant.” When she does find a good match, she tries to include some charitable element, something that helps either children or pets. “We like to do the annual Walk for Dog Guides to raise money to train and place guide dogs with people who need them. I just feel better if there is an element of charity in what we do with Mr. Bentley.”

None of this really concerns Mr. Bentley, who is only excited about his next adventure. “No matter what you ask him, the answer is ‘yes’ to everything, at all times,” says Friesen. That enthusiasm for the world — and yes, even the hesitation about the scary parts — makes Mr. Bentley a relatable hero. He’s an everyman kind of dog. An everydog? Foy and Friesen are happy to share him. Friesen says talking to fans and other dog owners about Mr. Bentley is a kind of universal bonding moment. “I love my dog, you love my dog. It’s cool. You know what I mean?”

BULLDOGS AREN’T LAZY, THEY’RE JUST BORED DOING NORMAL DOG STUFF WHEN THEY COULD BE FLYING.

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“WE PREFER

PEOPLE WHO CAN LOVE AS UNCONDITIONALLY AS DOGS.

FEATURED ARTISTS: CHRISTY & HALLY EDWARDS-CABRAL

@hallyandchristyprints

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A STUDY IN PINK, 2019

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Christy & Hally EdwardsCabral Christy and Hally Edwards-Cabral have never been professionally traine d in printmaking. In fact, they started to learn the techniques of linocut printmaking and collaborating on prints to grow closer as a couple. The two attended workshops and learned skills online to collaborate on projects together, then started posting a few pictures of their creations on social media to share with friends and family. Since then, artists and art enthusiasts from around the world have found joy in their work. From the start, folks requested pet portraits, and Christy and Hally have always enjoyed creating works with dogs, finding them to be an inspiring subject matter.

NAHLA, 2020

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DOG YOGA, 2020

CURIOUS DOG OVER THE COUNTER, 2020

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BY ERIC WEINER RDS WO APHY COURTE SY TOGR PHO Y OF CONGRE SS IBRAR OF L WHITE HOUSE LIB R E A RY TH NOTED S A & 24 D R O O L — I S SU E N O.5

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For all its gravitas, the splendor of its neoclassical architecture, its tennis court, bowling alley, swimming pool, 128 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, and five full-time chefs, the sandstone edifice at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is still, in the most basic sense, a house. And when it comes to making a house feel like home, a dog goes a long way.

Construction of the White House was completed on November 1, 1800, and since then it has housed more than 100 presidential pooches. They’ve run circles through the hallowed halls of American democracy, walked stride for stride with historic world leaders, and, at least in the case of Gerald Ford’s golden retriever, Liberty, relieved themselves on the Oval Office rug. Ford, to his credit, would not allow a Navy steward standing nearby to clean up the mess. “I’ll do that,” said the Commander-in-Chief. “No man should have to clean up after another man’s dog.”

Some of these First Pups were already part of presidents’ lives, while others were acquired under the auspices of their leadership.

Franklin Pierce’s six-pound Japanese Chin, for example, was a gift from Japan in 1854, delivered to the president by Commodore Matthew Perry, the naval officer w h o s p e a r h e a d e d J a p a n ’s reopening to the west after 200plus years of strict isolationism.

All but four U.S. presidents had pets of some sort; we’re

not counting the mice Andrew Johnson fed by leaving flour and grain on his bedroom floor.

Rivaled only by the adventurous Teddy Ro o s evelt, Pre sident Calvin Coolidge was among the most animal crazy, turning the White House into a Dolittle-esque menagerie that included seven birds, two cats, two raccoons, two lion cubs, a donkey, a bobcat, a pygmy hippo, a wallaby, and more, if you can believe it. Of

course, Coolidge was also rather fond of dogs, keeping 12 of them at the presidential residence. “Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House,” he proclaimed.

Founding Fathers Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe were all dog owners, but it wasn’t until Lincoln that presidential dogs started making the news. And at first, it wasn’t for a good reason ...

Liberty takes it easy in the Oval Office, at the side of President Gerald Ford.

Talk about a most trusted advisor.

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Lincoln wanted a more peaceful life for the crowd-shy Fido than Washington could offer.

1861-65:

Fido

Abraham Lincoln’s yellow Labrador Fido never lived in the White House with Lincoln, who opted to leave his furry friend at home in Springfield, Illinois. Then, a year after the president’s assassination, Fido befell the same grisly fate. The dog had been in the care of John E. Roll, an old friend of Lincoln’s. “We possessed the dog for a number of years,” Roll’s son, Johnny, told LIFE in 1954, just weeks before his death at the age of 90. “One day the dog, in a playful manner, put his dirty paws upon a drunken man sitting on the street curbing who, in his drunken rage, thrust a knife into the body of poor old Fido. He was buried by loving hands. So Fido, just a poor yellow dog, met the fate of his illustrious master — assassination.” Many sources, including the American Kennel Club, contend that “Fido” as a generic stand-in for any dog comes from Lincoln’s Lab.

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Likely too busy scouting his next victim, Pete did not pose for photos. Shown here with the Roosevelts is Skip the Rat Terrier.

1921-23:

Laddie Boy Warren G. Harding’s Airedale terrier

Laddie Boy’s photogenic appearance and loyal disposition made him a celebrity in his own right — a perfect furry face for Harding’s post-World War I campaign promise for a “Return to Normalcy.” Laddie Boy was fond of chasing down President Harding’s golf balls when they hit trees, but it wasn’t all fun and games for the First Dog. Laddie had his own carved wooden chair in which he sat during Cabinet meetings, and newspapers of the time covered his activities, with some outlets conducting mock interviews. In the three days leading up to Harding’s death, it is said that Laddie Boy inconsolably howled.

In his memory, and because the president was once a paperboy, newsboys nationwide submitted 19,134 pennies that were melted down and fashioned into a sculpture of Laddie Boy. It currently resides in the Smithsonian.

1901-09:

Pete

Theodore Roosevelt’s bull terrier Ol’ TR was essentially a full-on zookeeper, retaining as White House pets 11 horses, five Guinea pigs, two cats, flying squirrels, one badger, one hen, one macaw, one hyena, and two kangaroo rats. And that’s just scratching the surface of Teddy’s 40-plus-pet habit. Roosevelt was known to be fond of mixed-bloodline canines, which he called “Heinz 57” dogs. Perhaps most infamous, however, was Roosevelt’s bull terrier mix, Pete. Though the New York Times reported that Pete’s job was to “keep suspicious characters, newspaper correspondents, and incessant Secretaries of the Interior out of the White House grounds,” it appears he might have gotten carried away in several dramatic instances and chomped some very important legs. In 1906, Pete’s jaws famously found a French ambassador, ripping off his pants in the process as Pete attempted to escape up a tree. Roosevelt exiled the bull terrier to Virginia for a period of time before he was returned to the White House on a probationary basis. Pete went right back to his old pantsing ways, however, tearing off the trousers of a Navy Department clerk on the White House grounds. He was relocated — this time for good — to the family farm on Long Island.

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Harding, famous for extramarital sex scandals, never fathered offspring with his wife, Florence. They doted on Laddie Boy, however, like a child of their own.

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Hoover owned 12 dogs, the most of any sitting president, and King Tut was his favorite.

1929-33:

King Tut

Herbert Hoover’s Belgian Malinois In an attempt to soften his image as a mining engineer and steely businessman, Herbert Hoover’s campaign coordinators cooked up a savvy scheme. If you’ve seen a Subaru commercial in the last 10 years, you know it well: lean into the dog angle. The campaign circulated a photograph of a smiling Hoover posing with King Tut, and, of course, the plan worked; the American public began to see Hoover as a warmer figure, and he bested New York Governor Al Smith in the 1928 election. During his time at the White House, King Tut even served as a perimeter patrol guard.

1933-45:

Fala

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier

Fala sits shotgun with FDR, in 1944, at the president’s Hyde Park estate, where they are today both buried.

Fala was a constant companion to FDR, traveling with him on diplomatic visits and other excursions.

After one such trip to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, a rumor reached the floor of the House that Fala was left behind and Roosevelt had ordered a warship to be sent back to retrieve him at enormous taxpayer cost. In what would later become known as his “Fala speech,” FDR quipped to a gathering of Teamsters that “you can criticize me, my wife and my family, but you can't criticize my little dog. He’s Scotch and all these allegations about spending all this money have just made his little soul furious.” The crowd loved it, and some contend that this helped turn the tide for FDR to win his fourth term.

Fala was beloved by both the president and the public, receiving so much mail that he had his own secretary. The terrier is immortalized beside his owner in a bronze sculpture at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC.

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Pupnik parents: Pushinka, right, and Charlie the Welsh terrier, left, on the South Lawn. in 1961.

1961–63:

Pushinka John F. Kennedy’s mixed breed

Among the Soviet Union’s most famous dogs was Strelka (Little Arrow), one of two strays that went into space aboard Sputnik 5. Strelka had six puppies, one of which Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted to John F. Kennedy in 1961. Named Pushinka (Fluffy), the dog was greeted with a degree of suspicion by the American public and national security officials alike. As a result, the poor thing was examined by the CIA at Walter Reed Medical Center; the investigation uncovered no listening or monitoring device of any kind. Pushinka became pregnant by one of JFK’s other dogs, Charlie, and the president referred to the offspring as “pupniks.”

1963-69:

Him & Her Lyndon B. Johnson’s beagles

Lyndon B. Johns on caus e d something of a scandal when a photograph was taken of the president holding up one of his beagles, named Him, by the ears. He was later pressured to apologize, stating, “I’ve been pulling Him’s ears since he was a pup. He seemed to like it.”

Him fathered a litter of beagle puppies, one of which LBJ kept and named Freckles.

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LBJ’s rescue, Yuki, was well known for her “singing duets” with the Democratic president.

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1974–77

Liberty

Gerald Ford’s golden retriever Following the tumultuous Nixon administration, the aim of Gerald Ford’s leadership was to foster “a time to heal.” And when it comes to a salve for the soul of the nation, a golden retriever is just what the doctor ordered. The Fords’ daughter, Susan, procured an 8-month-old puppy named Streaker from a Minneapolis breeder and, thankfully, picked a better name. Liberty was a surprise to President Ford, but they took to one another instantly. Delighted at their first introduction, the president immediately plopped down on all fours to play with the young rascal.

Once word got out of a presidential pup, the American people wanted to know: who will look after her? No doubt the White House had sufficient staff to cover the job, but the president did not shirk his duty. “I have this feeling ... this is one Liberty that is going to cost me some of mine,” he said. “But in a broader sense, that is the true nature of liberty.

It comes with both privileges and obligations. Freedom, we all know, is seldom free.”

Liberty was popular with the public, and she would often “sign” her return correspondence with an inked paw print. People really went berserk for Liberty when she gave birth to nine puppies. Delivery took place in a room on the White House’s third floor, complete with a whelping box with plastic sheets.

So many letters started rolling in to the golden’s mailbox that White House staff turned her paw into a more practical rubber stamp.

Lady Liberty cheeses the camera, above. Daughter of the president Susan Ford, below, keeps watch over Liberty’s litter.

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Millie gave birth to six puppies, two of which stayed in the Bush family. Ranger was beloved

by H.W., and Spot fell in with George W.

1989–93

Millie

George H.W. Bush’s English springer spaniel Millie Bush was a multifaceted pet and especially well-behaved around people. Giving birth to six puppies made her so popular with the media that she ended up on the cover of LIFE magazine with First Lady Barbara Bush. The First Lady later dictated the best-selling Millie’s Book for children, which was credited to the English springer spaniel and reportedly outsold Barbara Bush’s own autobiography.

That was her good side. Beneath that adorable coat of fluff was a bloodthirsty hunter who had already honed her craft while residing at the Naval Observatory. Reagan, the outgoing president before Bush, jokingly set up a “Beware of Dog” sign near the Oval Office, but he didn’t know the half of it. Within a matter of months, four squirrels, three rats, and a pigeon fell victim to her savagery.

2001–2009:

Barney

George W. Bush’s Scottish terrier Barney the Scottish terrier gave Americans a (literally) groundfloor view of the White House goings-on. What started as a perspective of the December 2002 Christmas party from the dog’s point of view morphed into a full-on website for the First Dog, and “Barney Cam” became something of a holiday tradition.

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Evidently on Air Force One, dogs are considered carry-on luggage.

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2009–17:

Bo & Sunny

Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dogs The Obamas expressed a desire for a Portuguese water dog because of the breed’s hypoallergenic qualities, accounting for daughter Malia’s allergies. Bo was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy. In 2009, the White House unveiled a baseball card for Bo that included some impressive statistics. Namesake? Singer Bo Diddley, and also a cat belonging to Sasha and Malia’s cousin. Goal as First Dog? Make friends with foreign dignitaries.

Favorite food? Tomatoes.

The Obamas named their dog in part after First Lady Michelle’s father, whose nickname was Diddley in reference to the singer.

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Major, right, is the first shelter dog to call the White House home. He has a particular affection for tennis balls.

Present:

Champ and Major Joe Biden’s German shepherds

Champ served two stints in the White House, both during Joe Biden’s vice presidency and during his current presidency.

Biden trained previous German shepherds prior to welcoming Champ into the family, and said that his dog’s name reminded him of a saying his father often used: “Any time you get knocked down, Champ, get up!” Champ passed away on June 19, 2021 at the age of 13, leaving the role of First Dog solely to Major, another shepherd.

Major is a rescue dog, fostered into the Biden’s care through the Delaware Humane Association shelter after the puppy’s litter was exposed to “something toxic” and the original owners could not afford the necessary veterinary care. Major has had a bit of an issue with biting, but he’s in good company; FDR’s German shepherd, also named Major, bit both a US Senator and the UK Prime Minister.

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SHE’S LEARNING HOW TO SIT. SHE’S LEARNING HOW TO STAY.

SHE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Tanner Crockett

SHE THINKS SHE DESERVES A TREAT JUST FOR BEING CUTE.

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THE DOG I ST

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HO W UNEMPLOYMENT TUR NED INTO FOUR MILLION FOLLOWERS. CHRIS NELSON

E L I A S F R I E D M A N, C O U RT E S Y O F T H E D O G I ST

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Elias Friedman

Founder, photographer, and creative director In 2013, Elias Friedman unexpectedly lost his job in corporate marketing and suddenly needed to stay busy and keep his creativity on boil. Scrolling through Instagram, he recognized the success of pages like The Sartorialist and Humans of New York, which spotlighted humans met on the streets of Manhattan and shared short stories about their lives. Friedman thought it could be fun to riff on the idea with dogs as the subjects. He says, “In the beginning I knew it was certainly a frivolous pursuit, but I also knew that one day this could be a bigger thing than just photos of dogs, that this could be a big storytelling platform and bring together a larger, more curious and sympathetic dog community.”

Today, Friedman has photographed tens of thousands of dogs from all over the world, authored a New York Times best-selling book, and has turned The Dogist into a true business with an Instagram following of four million people, a website, a podcast, and branded goods. “This is more profound than just pictures of golden retriever puppies,” he says.

“There's something more rich here. Initially I didn’t have as much of a perspective about how important The Dogist could become. It’s sophisticated, it’s silly, it's real. It’s an artistic project but it's largely a documentary. We’re telling our stories as accurately as we can about dogs because they can’t speak for themselves, so we have to take their owners’ word for it, and you hear these inspiring, emotional stories from people who open up about their dogs, and it

YOU HEAR THESE INSPIRING, EMOTIONAL STORIES FROM PEOPLE WHO OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR DOGS, AND IT REALLY MOVES YOU. really moves you.”

Recognizing the social responsibility that The Dogist has, Friedman and his team recently launched The Dogist Fund, which is a philanthropic initiative to raise money for rescue dogs, dog rehabilitation, and working dogs. When Friedman isn’t shooting on the streets, he’s at home with his husky mix, Elsa, who he got a little over a year ago while quarantining in Massachusetts. He laughs, “It started as a foster idea but ended up being a foster fail, as they say. I've heard that story many times over the years, and now I can attest to it personally. They win us over.”

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thedogist Bao Bao, Cardigan Welsh corgi (5 months old), City Hall Park, New York, NY: “He’s named after Bao Bao the giant panda. He thinks everyone wants to be his friend.”

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thedogist Birdy, golden retriever (8 weeks old), Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY: “She can’t do any wrong. She goes to the bathroom in my apartment but that’s my fault.”

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Isabel Klee

Director of content In 2016 Isabel Klee was a senior in college, trying to decide what to do after graduation. One morning as she prepared for class, she noticed The Dogist was hiring. “I've always been obsessed with dogs,” she says. “As a kid I really wanted a dog — and I actually pretended to be a dog — until my parents agreed to let me have one. Like, I walked on all fours, I didn’t speak, and ate my food on the floor. It was ridiculous, but eventually they gave in.” Klee applied to The Dogist on her way to class, and soon after, she got the good news that she’d beaten out several hundred applicants to become Friedman’s assistant.

“More than an assistant, he needed somebody that he got along with and could spend a lot of time with,” Klee says. “He reminded me of my older brother, and I reminded him of his younger sister, and immediately we kind of fell into this brother-sister dynamic. He is a quiet guy, and I am the opposite, so if he didn't want to exert himself socially, I could turn on the charm and pick up the slack. As we grew, it was a no-brainer that I would grow with him.” Five years in, Klee is now director of content, which is a perfect role for her, seeing how as a teenager she launched a YouTube account and launched social media projects that were picked up by big-name outlets. Klee says, “I feel so lucky that I now have a job that I care so much about and that's not bullshit.

The path that I'm on is exactly what I would have predicted for myself.”

Klee is never far from her three-year-old “part dog, part fox,” Simon, who she discovered through

HE IS A QUIET GUY, AND I AM THE OPPOSITE, SO IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO EXERT HIMSELF SOCIALLY, I COULD TURN ON THE CHARM AND PICK UP THE SLACK. Korean K9 Rescue, which finds families for homeless and mistreated dogs in South Korea. She says, “He definitely has attitude. Sometimes he just looks at me and growls and moans to get me up and moving when I have stuff to do, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I don't want a perfect dog.”

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Jacquelyn Sawyer

Director of partnerships Throughout college, Jacquelyn Sawyer worked as a veterinarian technician, thinking she would become a vet upon graduation, but then she fell off of a horse, broke her back, and was no longer able to be on her feet all day. She pivoted her career focus to marketing, and after six years in the industry, accepted a job at an agency that happened to represent The Dogist. “I worked with The Dogist as a client for about a year prior to officially joining the team in March 2020.

I quickly fell in love with the brand and became obsessed with everything Dogist, and I spent the majority of my time working on their side of the business, as opposed to my other roles.”

Now Sawyer is director of partnerships, which means she manages the contracting, negotiating, and logistical issues around brands and people interested in partnering with The Dogist. “If there is a common theme on all of my calls with brands and companies, it’s that dogs never go out of style, and that dogs bring people joy,” Sawyer says. “We don’t necessarily automatically associate dogs with brands that are outside of the pet industry — clothing brands, furniture companies, car manufacturers — but one thing I always hear them say is, “Oh, every time we have a dog in our advertisements, they perform 10 times better than without a dog.” Sawyer sees ample opportunities for The Dogist to branch into new

I THINK THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. AND AS WE GET MORE AND MORE INTO THIS, DOORS JUST KEEP OPENING. mediums, like documentaries and series shows, but she is most excited to further develop The Dogist Fund. “Whether it's funding a spay and neuter clinic in an underserved part of the world, rescuing dogs off the street, or eventually one day having a sanctuary of our own — I think the possibilities are endless.”

Sawyer has a nine-year-old goldendoodle named Brody — “He's literally a medical nightmare with every problem known to mankind and has had more surgeries than I can count” — and a one-year-old Lab-hound mix, Artie, that she kept after fostering a six-pup litter this past winter.

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thedogist Oakley, Landseer Newfoundland (4 years old), Poconos, PA: “She’s a water rescue dog, trained at the American Academy of Canine Water Rescue in Boston ... she’ll drown herself saving you.”

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thedogist SnowCone, Samoyed (1 year old), Brooklyn, NY • “She’s naughty and spoiled and sleeps in the bed. We just moved here from Seattle and she used to bark at the paragliders in the park.”

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Kate Speer CEO

At age 18, doctors misdiagnosed Kate Speer with bipolar disorder, and the treatment she received created psychosis, so she spent the next decade in and out of psych wards, fighting to graduate college, and drowning in depression. In her late 20s, told she would move into a long-term mental health facility, Speer found a trauma specialist who recognized her misdiagnosis and helped her start rebuilding. Speer says, “At that point I couldn’t leave the house during daylight, I didn’t have a social circle, I didn’t have a job, I had nothing.”

After doing exposure therapy for two years, she decided she wanted a dog and brought home a Bernese mountain dog puppy named Waffle. “At this point, I was still hallucinating, and Waffle picked up the most amazing things,” Speer says. “She started to smell — literally smell — the chemical changes in my body.” With a panic attack sweat-soaked tee and a 10-pound bag of bacon, Speer taught Waffle how to detect changes in her cortisol level and cue for emotional support during an episode, and it worked.

“Waffle empowered me to enter spaces that I never even thought I could enter, and it just propelled me forward. I started to have more friends, I started to work, and I realized I could function again.”

In 2019 Speer shared her unbelievable story in a TEDx talk and at speaking arrangements throughout New York City, which is how she met Elias Friedman and first got involved with The Dogist. “I had built a career for myself just in those last three years,” Speer says. “As I trained Waffle, I had scaled a small start-up locally and then moved on to a coffee company, and I told Elias it would be ridiculous not to grow the company beyond social media. I said he needed to

WAFFLE EMPOWERED ME TO ENTER SPACES THAT I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT I COULD ENTER, AND IT JUST PROPELLED ME FORWARD. I STARTED TO HAVE MORE FRIENDS, I STARTED TO WORK, AND I REALIZED I COULD FUNCTION AGAIN. bring in 100 of the best start-up CEOs with pitches for business plans. He asked me to do one, so I built out a pitch, went back to New York, and it turned out he didn't put out a call. He didn’t ask for anybody else.”

When Speer isn’t running The Dogist, she is a fulltime mental health advocate and is training her sixmonth-old English Labrador, Tugboat.

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“PEOPLE ARE GREAT, BUT DOGS ARE ESSENTIAL. FEATURED ARTIST: KAZZ MOROHASHI

kazzmorohashi.com

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CUBIES, 2020

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Kazz Morohashi Kazz Morohashi is a multidisciplinary artist giving everyday topics and objects a playful, curious edge. Her pieces combine both simple and unusual designs to achieve abstract, bold representations. In 2015, Morohashi designed a project called Go Walkeez, where she would lend beaded dog sculptures to children and ask them to take the dogs on a culture walk around the museum. Children loved the opportunity, and always came back with interesting things to say about their walk. Not only did this project win awards, but it pushed Morohashi to pursue a PhD in learning resource design.

It’s no surprise that this enriching project revolves around dogs, as Morohashi has always had a deep love for them, saying, “they embody all the character strengths that I look for in myself.”

CUBIES, 2020

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HOW TO WOOF ABOUT ART, 2020

GO WALKEEZ BEAD DOGS, 2015

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SHE WON’T GO ANYWHERE UNLESS I CARRY HER. SHE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Erda Estremera

SHE KEEPS ME COMPANY ALL DAY. SHE TALKS IN HER SLEEP.

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A H I G H -A D R E N A L I N E L I F E O F A D V E N T U R E HAS NO PLACE FOR A PUPPY … OR DOES IT?

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WORDS BY KALEN THORIEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY KALEN THORIEN & CHRIS NELSON

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S

Seeing how my days are typically spent riding a motorcycle on dirt back roads or skiing down craggy, remote mountains, I convinced myself that I couldn’t bring a dog into my life. Then one day, there he was: the last of the litter, a discounted outcast not fit

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for the “show dog” world. Even through the dull iPhone screen his mismatched eyes burrowed into mine and told me I wasn’t alone, and that he needed me just as much as I needed him. Without thinking, I said aloud in my empty living room, “That’s my Gus boy,” and I messaged the owners and said I’d pick him up the next day.

A frightened little tennis ball, Gus wiggled his way to me as I stood in a dusty parking lot in central Utah, and he looked up at me as if to say, “Please take me with you.” I knew I didn’t have an option. He was my responsibility now, and something in this

whirlwind of existence brought me to this moment; all I could do was trust the process. I had changed my life forever — but how dramatically was yet to be determined.

I immediately told Gus about the cool road trips we were going to take, and how he was going to love motorcycles, but on the ride back home my romantic notions of woman and dog conquering the world together were comically shattered. Within 20 minutes he had thrown up twice and soiled himself, so I pulled over to a small stream to give him some fresh air and a drink. He bounced along

Above: Gus’s first camping trip in Idaho.

He was confused by the bug netting but now it’s his favorite! Opposite: Gus hitting the one-year mark and quickly becoming a seasoned backpacker.

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“Mom, if you’re going to make me a dog model, you’re going to have to pay me in extra treats …”

I BELIEVED THAT I WASN’T DESIGNED FOR A PARTNERSHIP, BUT GUS HAPPILY CHALLENGED THIS...

next to my feet as if nothing had happened, sniffing the flowers, d u n k i n g h i s l i t t l e p aw s i n shallow pools, even attempting a jump onto a rock in the stream, which ultimately resulted in a full submersion. I giggled and scooped him up, his eight-pound body shivering from the cold runoff. Wrapping him in my shirt, I couldn’t stop laughing; this little fuzzball was adorably confident, and his curiosity illuminated even the most mundane roadside stops.

Everything was new to him, and I

started to think that he would help me see my world in a better light.

A week later we took a trip to southern Utah, and I exposed Gus to all the activities that he’d be doing for the rest of his life.

As we trotted along the red rock countryside, little Gus was clueless as to what was about to happen.

My backpack was filled with ropes, harnesses, and carabiners — necessities for the 80-foot rappel we were about to do into a cavern called “The Goblin’s Lair.” We approached the anchor point and I

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peered over the ledge, holding him tightly just in case he hadn’t yet comprehended the consequences of gravity. I took out my ropes and set up the rappel, then strapped Gus into his brand-new climbing harness. He looked at me with excitement and naiveté, ready to conquer anything thrown his way, too young to challenge any decisions just yet. I saddled him up and then cinched him to me with an excessive amount of attachment points. We crept toward the drop-off, and with each

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step I reassured Gus that he was in good hands. I held him close, his little heartbeat doubling mine. As we made the final step into the free hang, I waited for him to freak out and cry, but he didn’t.

Suspended 80 feet above the ground, Gus just sat in my lap as I lowered us to safety, looking around as the walls whizzed by, as if he’d done this a dozen times before. Once we landed and I detached Gus, he gave a little shake and then peered up with a hanging-tongue smile: “Cool, Mom! What’s next?!” At that moment I knew I found my perfect adventure buddy. My solitary life of exploration had been curated around “what ifs” and “maybes.” Responsibility was an avoidance; caring for others was a burden. I believed that I wasn’t designed for a partnership, but Gus happily challenged this, and my stubbornness as an independent woman was quickly negated by the stubbornness of my Aussie.

We started checking off every trip I could imagine. All the activities I had wished I had a dog for were now coming to fruition.

After the desert we escaped to Wyoming to go fly fishing, where Gus booped his first trout. Then back to the desert for 40 miles of backpacking, a distance that saw me carrying him half the time but worth every mile. My mornings were greeted with kisses; the nights ending curled up in the tent, reading Edward Abbey as Gus gazed into the wild.

Each day was filled with pure play, his floppy ears bouncing to his step as if showcasing his inability to feel anything but joy.

His continuous curiosity ignited my own. We played with bugs and lizards, examined the flora around us, or dipped our feet in even the smallest of puddles. Gus brought a simplistic view to what

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I COULD FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD THAT I HAD SADDLED MYSELF WITH SLOWLY BEGIN TO FADE.

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I COULD FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD THAT I HAD SADDLED MYSELF WITH SLOWLY BEGIN TO FADE.

For having access to so much space, it's funny how often he ends up in my arms.

we easily complicate, and I could feel the weight of the world that I had saddled myself with slowly begin to fade.

It’s been almost a year since I got Gus, and his résumé of adventure continues to grow. We’ve packrafted hundreds of miles of river together, road-tripped up the West Coast eating our weight in seafood, skied powder through the trees in the mountains of Idaho, and even attempted a motorcycle ride, which ultimately ended in him wiggling butt first out of his carrier onto my shoulders —

but fun nonetheless. To say it’s perfect would be a lie. For those who know, puppies come with a certain amount of hair-pulling, and Gus has tested that patience plenty of times. But those few moments are heavily outweighed by the positives; he grounds me but lifts me at the same time, like a symphony building to its finale.

He keeps my feet planted but elevates my existence toward a higher sense of self.

I don’t know what the cards have in store for us; I don’t know what the next 10 years look like.

To presume that I have it under control would be unrealistic, but to doubt it would be reckless. Gus challenges me by forcing open my narrow vision and expanding it beyond the horizon I’ve projected for myself. It’s ironic that I was designated as the caregiver, the owner, and the provider, because within minutes he had assumed that role, and now I’m the one relearning what it means to truly live. He is my catalyst, my therapist, my better half — a position he’ll never know, and one I’ll never forget.

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W O R D S B Y A LY N N E VA N S P H O T O G R A P H S C O U RT E S Y O F T H E L I B R A RY O F C O N G R E S S

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WHERE THE BASSET HOUND’S NOSE LEADS

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When hounds are hot on the trail, it’s as if their brains fall from the skull and roll straight down the snout – right between their two nostrils.

They don’t walk in a straight line.

They don’t care if you follow them.

And they certainly don’t listen to direction. In this context of hunting, we call these dogs determined. In every other context, we call them stubborn.

To be a scent hound is to be relentlessly at the service of your nose. Second only to the scenting capabilities of the bloodhound, basset hounds are certainly no exception to this rule. They don’t particularly look like working dogs, with long, sagging ears and eyes, elastic wrinkles, and short, knobby ankles. Most of the time they don’t act like working dogs, either, enjoying a leisurely life with little activity between meals and naps. But don’t be fooled — these squatty characters are the product of thousands of years of

pure olfactory refinement.

The use of dogs for tracking down deer, hare, and other game revolutionized hunting thous ands of ye ar s ag o. In ancient Greece, a type of dog referred to as a Laconian hound was depicted as a determined tracker that would never give up on sniffing out their targeted prey.

For this reason, these hounds became an indispensable part of hunting in Greece, infiltrating Constantinople and eventually spreading throughout Europe. The Laconian hound contributed to

THESE SQUATTY CHARACTERS ARE THE PRODUCT OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF PURE OLFACTORY REFINEMENT.

Photo by Leni Thalen

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Basset hounds have over 220 million olfactory receptors in their nose, compared to the measly 40 million of humans.

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the breeding of the scent hounds of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Hubert in Belgium, dating to around 1000 AD. The Norman staghound, a now extinct breed, was an early descendent of the St. Hubert hound and, with a tall stature, was best suited to track deer. When a mutation occurred in a Norman staghound litter causing short-legged, bloodhound-type dogs, a new breed of scent hounds emerged.

There are six different bassettype dogs existing today. The name “basset hound” combines the French word bas, meaning ‘low,’ with the suffix -et, implying ‘rather.’ With adults weighing up to 70 pounds, they truly are large dogs that aren’t just low, but rather low. Bloodhounds and other St. Hubert descendants were great for hunting on horseback but difficult to keep up with on foot. Besides, up until the end of the French Revolution, hunting from horseback was an activity in which only royals were allowed to partake. It was the stubby legs of the basset hound that allowed the common person to hunt. With this in mind, basset-type dogs became quite popular in 19th century France — so much so, the English began importing them, where their breeding was further refined.

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BLOODHOUNDS AND OTHER ST. HUBERT DESCENDANTS WERE GREAT FOR HUNTING ON HORSEBACK BUT DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH ON FOOT.

You would think with ears that large, hearing would be the basset hound's greatest asset. However, these long, pendulous ears are just a sniffing accessory, picking up the scent and keeping it close to the nose.

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Basset hounds are known for being particularly agreeable and easy going, making them great companions.

Everett Millais, an English hunter, imported the first French b a s s e t , n a m e d M o d e l , i n to England in 1874. Unsatisfied with the leaner physique of the French basset hound, he began breeding them with bloodhounds to create a heftier build, which ultimately became the breed standard we know today.

The modern basset hound remains remarkably dens e, having the highest percentage of bone per pound compared to any other breed of dog. While nearly every physical trait contributes to their dopey appearance, each silly feature has served some

function to enhance their scenting capabilities. The loose skin and dewlaps, falling into deep, rolling wrinkles, help keep the scent close to their face and nose. And with such impressively long ears, one could easily assume the basset’s hearing is its most sophisticated sense, when in fact, they primarily serve as flaps to waft smells up to the nose.

While independent, basset hounds are remarkably friendly, gentle, and often quite lazy. They are extremely social dogs and agreeable with nearly any type of company — that is, until they catch a whiff and set off wandering.

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“I REALLY LIKE

THE AMOUNT OF CHARACTER EACH DOG HAS AND I FIND IT REALLY FUN TO TRY AND CAPTURE THAT PERSONALITY IN AN ILLUSTRATION.

FEATURED ARTIST: JOHN VAN HORN

johnvanhornart.com

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DOBERMAN, 2020

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John Van Horn Based in Denver, CO, John Van Horn (JVH) creates art in a variety of mediums, portraying melancholic, yet comedic portrayals of common — and uncommon — subject matter.

With an appreciation for the expressive nature of dogs, JVH enjoys capturing the unique personality of each dog he depicts.

Having owned two miniature schnauzers in his life, he relates to both their scruffiness and quirky personalities. In terms of art and life, JVH has certainly celebrated small successes, but recognizes the importance of remaining curious and open to push his work in new and exciting directions.

GUS, 2020

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LABRADOR, 2020

PITBULL, 2020

BRAT, 2021

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SHE’S SO SWEET. SHE WOULDN’T HURT A FLY.

SHE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Alvan Nee

SHE GUTS A SQUEAKY TOY IN 10 SECONDS FLAT.

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APPLIED

ETHOLOGIST EXPLAINS WHY

KIM BROPHEY WORLD FOR IT’S

A

WHOLE

DOGS.

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WO RD S BY K IM BROPH EY I LLU S TRATIO N S BY GIO RDANO P O LO NI P HO T O G R AP H S F RO M ME E T YOU R D O G BY K IM BRO PH EY

THE CANISSANCE

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Your 130-pound mastiff, Franklin, is standing rigidly at your front door. You can feel his deep, low growl vibrating your hand on his collar as you talk to your landlord about the upcoming rent increase. You’re trying to stay calm and slow your breathing, because you know from prior experiences that things can go from bad to worse pretty quick with him if he senses that you are uncomfortable, and the news about the $400 monthly increase has you feeling a little panicky.

As you say “goodbye” and close the door, you exhale deeply and cut a glance at ol’ Franklin.

“What are you thinking, buddy?! What the heck is wrong with you?” You did everything right with this dog — socialization, training, the best food — and still he wants to save your life from the landlord, the mailman, or any other soul who dares to knock on that door. What are you missing?

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DOGS HAVE UNIQUE GENETIC NATURAL HISTORIES THAT MUST BE TOLD

A guardian is just a step-up-to-the-plate kind of guy. He’s saving your life from the big truck man. You don’t know what could be in that box!

The whole story — that’s what you’re missing. To be specific: the history of Franklin that would help you make sense of his behavior in this modern pet life that he’s living with you in the big city. There is nothing wrong with Franklin at all; he is doing exactly what he was designed to do as a guardian breed: protect his territory, resources, and social members.

There’s nothing wrong with you either; this isn’t a “training” issue and it’s not, in fact, “all about how you raise them.” Dogs have unique genetic natural histories that must be told, if we’re to nurture and teach them in any meaningful sense. It’s the only way we can connect the dots, appreciate their rich history, and help them when they — and we — are struggling.

There are powerfully influential behaviors that our ancestors observed and valued in the first dogs of the world,

behaviors we then capitalized on and genetically modified for our own survival hundreds, even thousands, of years ago — highly specialized functions developed and exaggerated into the hundreds of breeds of dogs that we have today. Herding dogs managed livestock for us.

Terriers rid our homes and farms of varmints who would steal our stashes, spoil our food, and spread disease. Scent hounds tracked wild game for us and improved our odds on the hunt. Gun dogs flushed game birds out of hiding and brought them back to our feet for our dinners. And guardians, like Franklin, stepped up to the plate in the face of any potential adversary. These historical roots aren’t just fun stories to tell at dinner parties about the kind of dog we have; rather, they are the missing pieces of the puzzle in our understanding and stewardship

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IT’S NOT THE DOG’S FAULT THAT THEY STILL CARRY THESE NOW OBSOLETE AND TROUBLESOME INSTINCTS.

She didn’t ask to be a genetically designed control freak for livestock management, and it’s not HER fault you don’t have sheep and your friends are unorganized.

of our furry friends.

Many of the behaviors that humans carefully, deliberately selected dogs to express for countless generations are the very instinctual behaviors we now abhor as “behavioral problems” in modern pets. We have kept the form of the hundreds of historical working breeds because we fancy them, and we have also kept the behaviors that are inextricably linked to those forms. No matter what a breeder tells us, there is no getting one without the other.

Once highly valued traits are now nuisances, daily struggles, and lawsuits; chasing, jumping, biting, barking, fighting, and killing were all valuable behaviors in very specific circumstances in the past.

Dogs don’t choose to express instinctual behaviors. They have no idea why they respond to certain events the way that they

do, because their instincts are meant to completely bypass any frontal-lobe decision-making.

That made the job much easier for our ancestors, as they didn’t have to train the dogs to perform the jobs they were bred to do — dogs just “knew” instinctively how to do it. That’s all great until you put those working instincts into a set of conditions in which onceprized behaviors create massive problems. It’s not the dog’s fault that they still carry these now obsolete and troublesome instincts. They didn’t ask to be the way that humans bred them to be. They’re entirely confused by their own natures in the face of our contemporary conditions and expectations.

The reality for most dogs is extremely complex because of a surprisingly simple problem: they are fish out of water in our

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It doesn’t matter if it’s really a smart idea when it comes to bull dogs. They were bred to go all in for action and think safety is overrated.

modern pet environments. They are keys in the wrong locks, finding themselves captive in a strange new habitat that bears little resemblance to their ancestral homes. We’ve been told that dogs are perfectly fit for the pet lifestyles we provide them, and we have been raised to believe that dogs are pets, that this is their fundamental design and purpose in our lives. We expect them to adapt to every single condition of our lifestyles, which sometimes means long days confined indoors alone, unwelcome fondling from complete strangers, constantly changing schedules and routines, multiple moves to new homes, uncomfortable social encounters with other animals, and compliance with our wishes in the face of all of it.

We expect this because we have been taught to expect it by

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Being tirelessly obsessed with the location and movements of other animals is just right up a terrier’s alley.

YOU, AND EVERY OTHER ANIMAL, ARE YOU BECAUSE OF ALL OF THESE THINGS: LEARNING, ENVIRONMENT, GENETICS, AND YOUR UNIQUE SELF.

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A gun dog will find the thing, will put the thing in his mouth and will carry the thing. Don’t blame him for finding a pizza instead of a bird in your Manhattan apartment.

all of that culture and marketing influence, and we expect it because we have not been taught to understand the true natures of our dogs. It matters to them, just like it matters to us, that they have a meaningful life with a sense of purpose and belonging.

It matters to them that they have relationships, experiences, and opportunities to escape the restrictions placed upon them.

It matters to them that they can follow their instincts and meet their own deep emotional, psychological, and behavioral needs.

You’re born a certain way, designed to be successful in your evolutionary niche for a very certain set of conditions. Then you learn, as an individual, how to adapt and meet your body’s needs over the course of your life. You can’t escape the importance of any of it. You, and every other animal, are you because of all of these things: learning, environment, genetics, and your unique self.

If any one of these elements doesn’t jive with the others, you will struggle to find balance and

welfare, because they are designed by nature to work in tandem, in concert and cooperation with each other. So, a helpful and convenient way to think about these four parts for our four-legged companions is to think about the four L.E.G.S. that support your dog’s overall wellness: Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self.

We definitely haven’t lost our way with our dogs because we fail to love them enough. We just need to step back and take all things into consideration for them in the face of both old science and new, and reconcile the true sources of the growing problems we face in our lives with dogs by getting to the heart of the matter.

This is an invitation to join a new movement for our canine companions, a “canissance” that sees the revitalization of old world knowledge and the integration of new modern science. In the renaissance spirit, we can recoup the value of what we have lost in our history with dogs and bring compassionate creativity to solving the problems facing dogs and their families today.

Learn more about Kim's L.E.G.S model for understanding why individual dogs are the way they are in her highly acclaimed book MEET YOUR DOG.

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2 LEG

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THESE THREE BIPED PUPS BRING JOY TO THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. B Y A LY S S A H U R S T P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y TAY L E R S M I T H

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D Domenick Scudera’s vibrant online community g o e s by 2legdogs, but his story actually starts with three legs. Almost 15 years ago, Scudera was scrolling online when a sweet face caught his attention. Despite the puppy’s warmth, he’d been through hell.

Trapped under an object, he’d chewed off a limb to escape.

Scudera immediately felt the pull to help the tripod pup, who would later be known as Festus.

“For some reason, when I saw that cute picture of him, not only did I want to adopt him, but I knew I wanted to train him to be a therapy dog,” Scudera says. “I just felt that there was something compelling about his story that would be inspiring to people. And, in fact, that was very true.”

In their time together, Festus and Scudera progressed through canine therapy training and made an impact on countless lives, including each other ’s.

As Festus grew older and closer

to retirement, Scudera began searching for a pup to carry the therapy torch.

Born without front legs, Cyrus was the first of Scudera’s two-legged crew, which now includes fellow bipeds Lucky and Deuce. Now 11 years old, Cyrus’s disability hasn’t kept him from making a mark on the world; the small gray wonder still makes visits as a certified therapy dog, cruising around Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in his wheels. At home, he prefers to fly solo, using Scudera as his personal transport service when he needs a change of scenery. “He’s just like my little football, I put him under my arm,” Scudera says. “He's almost always next to me, day and night. He's just the easiest dog.”

Lucky was the second to join Scudera’s merry band of twolegged canines. His life started in Cairo, Egypt, where an animal activist found him with injured

Cyrus is remarkably easygoing, enjoying the simplicity of a soft bed or a warm sun spot.

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NOT ONLY DID I WANT TO ADOPT HIM, BUT I KNEW I WANTED TO TRAIN HIM TO BE A THERAPY DOG.

back legs, likely from a car accident. After healing from his amputation, Lucky found his way to the U.S. and Scudera. Because he has no feeling in his back end, Scudera has to help Lucky go to the bathroom, but the pup has no trouble moving freely around his home, either by his own strength or with the help of wheels. Despite this difficult start to life, Scudera says Lucky is one of the most optimistic creatures he’s met. “In the end, he’s just a very lovable, goofy, funny, fullof-life kind of dog.”

It’s those personality traits that created an instant bond between

Lucky and the latest addition to the 2le g do g s hous ehold, Deuce. Three years ago, Scudera was contacted by a woman in Kentucky who had seen his work with Lucky and Cyrus. She was fostering Deuce, who was found with injuries and infections in both of his left legs, and thought he’d make the perfect therapy dog. Despite losing the legs on one side of his body, he can walk and run alongside most four-legged pups, and only needs support when standing still.

“At first I said, ‘No, we have way too many animals. I can't possibly do this,’” Scudera remembers.

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Not every dog is cut out for therapy work. Certainly training is an important part of the process, but the dog needs to really love what they do, and Cyrus, Duece and Lucky really love their job.

THEY JUST NATURALLY HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT PEOPLE NEED.

“But I watched the videos that she sent, and he was so amazing and unusual. He's very stable and fast and capable. And I just thought, ‘Wow, that's really inspiring.’ He's now part of the mix, and he is one of the sweetest dogs.”

All three dogs have followed in Festus’s footsteps, working as therapy dogs at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital’s amputee clinic. They also regularly visit The Barn at Spring Brook Farm, an organization dedicated to enriching children’s lives through animal-assisted activities. These dogs, who have conquered so much, have a special ability to bring joy to children dealing with difficult medical circumstances, or people who are recovering from amputation surgeries and adjusting to a new way of life. “I know from years of doing this, that you train a dog to be a therapy dog, but when you actually start doing the work , s omething happens that you can't train,” Scudera says. “They just naturally have an understanding of what

people need.”

Scudera remembers one instance when he and Lucky were visiting a man who had recently lost his legs to a terrible accident.

“When we met the patient, he just got down on the floor and held Lucky for a really long time, and everybody around just sort of stopped because they knew that this young man had gone through something horrible. You could tell that just emotionally, he needed some kind of release, and the dog was providing it, finally.”

While all therapy dogs have this innate special ability, the 2legdogs crew members have an added superpower. Having witnessed a friend’s brother recover from amputation, Scudera saw how difficult it can be for humans to struggle with losing a limb and work to rebuild mobility. For dogs, he says, the transition is easier, and that visible symbol of overcoming adversity is inspiring. He’s used to hearing patients exclaim, “He’s just like me!” upon meeting one of the pups, and, “If he can do it,

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YOU COULD TELL THAT JUST EMOTIONALLY, HE NEEDED SOME KIND OF RELEASE, AND THE DOG WAS PROVIDING IT, FINALLY.

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The 2legdog crew has inspired countless people who need it most, just by being who they are.

I can do it,” but it never gets old.

And it’s not just the patients who are impac ted by the s e moving healing moments either.

When Lucky, Cyrus, and Deuce stride into a hospital, Scudera says it instantly breaks up the sterile environment with some muchneeded levity and brightness.

They’ve become so popular that each dog even has its own trading card, and they appear on posters throughout the hospital.

While they give s o much, Scudera is confident the dogs get just as much in return. Hopping in the car for a therapy session is among their favorite activities, and they relish the love and treats they receive. What’s more, he says the dogs seem to understand that they are doing important work.

Scudera says, “I always say it’s a win-win-win. The dogs get something, I certainly am getting so much from doing this, and patients do, too.”

For the last several months, though, this work has b een

paused due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Still, Lucky, Cyrus, and Deuce found new ways to reach people in need. The group has a whole additional community on social media (@2legdogs), including Instagram, where more than 84,000 people follow along. Scudera first noticed the trio’s online impact after Deuce’s unique ability to get around with just his right legs began attracting an international audience. He continues to get messages daily from inspired followers around the globe, including people who have started to see disabled dogs differently.

During the pandemic, the dogs struck a new chord with people who have been struggling not only with illness and loss of loved ones, but quarantines and the mental health challenges that have accompanied them. “The pandemic was so difficult for people, and just seeing the dogs living their lives and not being held back in any way is hopefully

a symbol of endurance, and that you can make it, you can get through it,” Scudera says. “It’s so rewarding knowing that for a few moments, we lightened the load for someone going through a really difficult time.”

These dogs have been just as meaningful to Scudera as they have to others. In fact, he says that Cyrus, Lucky, and Deuce have profoundly altered his outlook on life, teaching him to stop worrying about what may come and be present and joyous in each moment he has. That lesson is one he hopes others can learn, and he says adopting disabled dogs is a powerful way to do that.

“The dogs are this connection to the world that I would never have had otherwise. There's something special about them, and people are drawn to that,” he says. “Taking care of a special needs animal is not much more difficult than taking care of a fourlegged dog, but the rewards are so much greater in a way.”

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“SOMETHING THAT

REALLY INTRIGUES ME ABOUT DOGS IS HOW DIFFERENT THEY CAN ALL BE WHILE STILL BEING PART OF THE SAME SPECIES; ONE GETS USED TO IT BUT IT’S FUNNY TO THINK A GERMAN SHEPHERD AND A MINIATURE PINSCHER ARE BOTH DOGS.

FEATURED ARTIST: KATTY HUERTAS

kattyhuertas.com

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PATTERN, 2021

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Katty Huertas Katty Huertas is a Colombian artist currently residing in Washington, DC. As a lifelong animal lover, the only profession outside of art she had ever considered was a veterinarian. Huertas has always had an appreciation for dogs, particularly admiring mutts, where you get a little bit of everything. Huertas’ work spans multiple mediums and styles, including both digital and traditional methods...“My current style came naturally,” she notes. “The detailed, painterly yet graphic work that I make now is how my brain and hands work, so I don’t have to force it, just let it flow.”

MISSING DOG, 2018

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WAITING, 2018

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HE DOESN'T BARK. HE DOESN'T DIG.

HE'S DAMN NEAR PERFECT.

Photo by Ruby Schmank

HE HAS FOUR DOG BEDS AND STILL SLEEPS IN MINE.

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FRESH MEAT. FREEZE-DRIED COATED. ROCKSTAR DIGESTIBILITY.

How do you make the world's best dry food for dogs better?

Simple, coat it in more meat. Freeze-Dried coated BIXBI RAWBBLE, the end of picky eaters.

Damn near perfect dogs deserve damn near perfect dog food.

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