"Rags"

When I began to work on the Artists Row project in 1991, I had a little black dog who accompanied me into the old derelict buildings which are now high-rent storefronts and galleries. Sassy was only a year old but she contracted some kind of bacterial infection in those old spaces and died soon after we held the grand opening of the project. Artists, patrons and students missed her. She was very special and we thought there would not be another like her.

In fall of 1993, Rags was rescued from the pound to replace Sassy as my watchdog in the studio. A little Peekapoo, he looked like a little pile of Rags and was so dark the children called him "Black Shadow." He quickly found a place for himself with a style of his own. He barked quickly at undesirables, greeted children with enthusiasm and applauded with happy barks whenever people clapped. He loved balls, water and jet skies, and his family. He loved being in the studio even after being there when a burglar broke in -- his barks had kept me from coming back inside while the burgler went out the back door. He has been a constant companion. He went to Alumni meetings and slept in the dorm. He visited friends and galleries and was often asked to come back again. He was a joy to all of us.

This year, he had gotten blind, almost totally deaf and very ill. We thought he would come to a natural end and hoped for that solution for this brave and lovable old dog. When the pain started, we knew it was time.

And so, we say goodbye to Rags.