Matisse was known for his love of animals. If you visited his home you might have been greeted by several two and four legged creatures. He was known to live with cats, dogs and birds. Leonardo da Vinci was also well known for his love for animals.

Frida Kahlo self portraits shows many of her beloved animals.  Most artist pets might not have found their way onto their owners canvases but certainly in their hearts. 

I could go, artist enjoyed the companies of animals since the beginning of time. The list is too long to count. 

If there was a contest it seems that cat are winning the race among the artists. Not sure if that is because as long as you feed them they really do not care what you are up to. For me cats are out of the question due to allergies. We had rescued one and had tried to find her a home only for her to find a home with us until she went over the rainbow bridge. 

Animals are as unique as humans. Each of us feel that we have the perfect companion in our pet. Our first cattle dog mix came to us as an unplanned adoption. We knew we wanted to adopt a puppy, but had not yet decided when. A friend of ours dog had a litter and asked us if we would like to adopt one of her puppies. We fell in love with her and her puppies. We ended up adopted one of her babies that day but allowed her to stay with her mom until she was ready. She was such a great shy yet energetic girl. Her favored spot would be under my photography set table. When my husband came home she would leap over our sofa several times in joy before she finally settle down to say hello to him. She would patiently wait until I was done with my photography and was ready waiting for me to run over the photo lab to drop or pick up my film. We made that trip a few time a day. She was my partner in crime for just a little over 13 years. As a food photographer I was a dogs dream parent. The studio would always smell delicious. Sometimes she would wait until I turned my back to sneak a sample of my food set. I learned to always make duplicates to off-set the four legged thief. I fell in love with this mix breed. At the age of 13 she fell sick and we had to make the toughest decision an animal lover ever had to make. As a family we stood next to her hugged and petted her until she crossed the rainbow bridge. 

Naturally when we opened our heart to a new puppy we searched for another cattle dog mix. This is how our current little girl came to live with us. She is a bit more outgoing and a total people dog. She does not care so much for other dogs, but tolerates them. Even so she is not super big she does not like tiny dogs. I was heartbroken when we found out she had been dumped at a shelter way to soon not even properly weaned from her mom. She had already been in foster care before we brought her home. My husband drove six hours to pick her up. When I opened up the door to them this little bundle almost jumped into my arms. It was love at first sight.  From all the pets we had she has been my best managers. She will make sure I am up before the birds, get my exercise, eat and go to sleep.  She is also very talkative and when I am just a bit of scheduled she will make sure to let me know.  So often I wonder if we have a spirit animal and it reincarnate over and over to help us become better humans. I feel fortunate for all my four legged friends who allowed me to shared their lives with them. If there was a spirit animals for me it would have to be them. Each found their spot in my heart and each leaves a big hole when they cross over the rainbow bridge. I always hoped that their spirits transfer to my new puppy as I miss them so dearly.  The picture shows her at one year old and of course we had to make her a birthday cake. She was so delicate with the cookies as she removed them one by one. Now at age 13 she would wait until we tell her she can have her cookies, but if she felt the wait was too long she is certain to let us know. I can’t imagine my life without her. 

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