Sophie and other love stories

This is my little teacup Yorkie named Sophie.  She is possible the most adorable animal God ever made!  Why do we fall so deeply and sillily (a real word????) in love with our pets?  This dog wants to be with me all day.  She is constantly at my feet or laying next to me in the chair.  She is four pounds of love and fur.  I painted this watercolor portrait of her with very bold colors and strokes to convey her energy and intensity.  Her gaze reflects her scrutiny of my every move.  She keeps her eye on me!

My challenge to myself was to paint 100 dog portraits in a year and yet a few cats have slipped in.  This kitty is not with us anymore.  Her poor owners were so distraught when she died that I painted a picture of her so they could still see her and remember all the things she did to show them love and affection.  They now have this portrait framed above their mantle. 

 Could we live without our pets?  Yes, but the house would be a little quieter, we would sit by ourselves at night and we would miss their warmth and attention.  I have a quote in my house that says, "Be the person your dog thinks you are."   They believe the best about us and they are always glad to see us when we come home. If only we treated each other with the same optimism and affection that our pets show us-  we would live a gentler, kinder life!