Ode to two very special dogs.

I used to think that people who owned dogs were absolutely nuts. They talked about their dogs like they were people, bragged about them, looked down on other people’s dogs. Then Nunuk came into our lives and we kind of became crazy dog people ourselves. Of course our dog is the most beautiful of all dogs. Of course he’s the smartest with the biggest heart. Of course he’s the best behaved.

Actually, he’s not the best behaved. No dog is. But Nunuk, in particular, is animal aggressive. In and out of shelters for a good part of his life, he’s never been socialized with other dogs. He wigs out when he sees them and instead of considering starting a friendship with them, he thinks he’s at the start of a big meal. However, around people, he’s the nicest. We often joke that if a thief broke into our house, he’d play with the robber. But around dogs, squirrels and cats…fuggedaboutit. That’s just how he is.

At first he was just too much to handle. Or so I thought. Then Paz, who loves dogs and is incapable of seeing any dog in a negative light, taught me a lot about how these animals think, feel and react under varying circumstances. Although she’s never met Nunuk in person, her instincts and understanding about him were always spot on. On days when he had just dragged me down the street after a cat and I thought I couldn’t take his antics any longer, I’d tell her about my frustration and she’d offer advice or some kind of anecdote from her own experiences that helped me better deal with him.

Sadly, Paz lost her two very special dogs, Menina and Cadeau in the past year. I never met them, but I am certain they directly contributed to Paz’s helping me with Nunuk. I know it may sound silly especially to those of you who don’t have pets or think we pet owners are a nutty bunch. But when she told me of Cadeau’s passing, and subsequently Menina’s, I cried. In the end, our beloved pets are members of the family. We feed them, play with them, teach them, and worry about them about as much as we do the human members of our family. So when they’re gone, naturally, we mourn their absence.

Paz asked me to design some cookies to honor Menina and Cadeau’s memories. I warned her that they would be whimsical and mischievous in style. Not surprisingly, she told me to go for it.

These are just a few of the entire set I made, which will all soon be posted on my Flickr portfolio.

Tagged as: cookies, dogs, paz's new york minute, portraits