More exciting news.    Yesterday I told you how I had become a Phenomenon when my Blog was named Best of Northern Virginia.

Now I am even more of a Phenomenon, because, guess what?  I might get my portrait painted.   I am crossing my paws, but two of our Everything & The Dog  clients have been picked and this was (of course) BECAUSE OF ME.

So grab your Mouse Person and fly off to visit  my new friend, William Gilliam  who is the brains (and the art) behind The Canine Portrait Project.

First off, William lives in Hawaii and I have never been there but my sister, Lydia, has gone, and I understand it is very nice.   It worries me greatly that there may be a lot of strange bugs and stranger food products in Hawaii, but Lydia assures me that there is plenty of SPAM   and I can live on that.     The food Spam... not the bad e-mail kind.

So anyway, you know already that we are friends with Moira McLaughlin  who has an absolutely amazing blog called Dog Art Today    I hate to say it, but if Ms. Moira lived in Northern Virginia, I would not have had a snowballs chance in hell of winning from Northern Virginia Magazine.       Dog Art Today   and   Anne Good who has A.G. Out Loud  are my two favorite blogging buddies and they are absolutely wonderful.         I know you will love my girlfriends, just as I do.

So anyway, a little bit ago, Ms. Moira told us all about Mr. William Gilliam and his Canine Portrait Project.

Of course, I immediately send Mr. William, MY pictures and told him that even though us Pitties weren't recognized by the AKC   (which stands for stuck up American Kennel Club) ......   (oh, wait.... Mom says that is mean and everyone has to have standards)      Anyway, so then Mr. William wrote me back the very best letter and this is what he had to say:

"In my initial entries I explain that, while I got my list from an AKC affiliated website, it was to be only a starting point and guide. Over the weeks I have added about 30 breeds that are not recognized by the AKC at the suggestion of submitters. I am not interested in a comprehensive list as dictated by any organization, just a good overall representation of domestic dogs and the biodiversity they display.

In another post I explain that I have received numerous pit bulls and even had some discussions about what dogs are classified as Pits and what other bulls are in the same close family. Because of the popularity of Pit Bulls and Bulldogs in general I have decided that once this project is finished I will do another, smaller collection of just pit bulls that will include paintings, prints and ultimately a book.

All that being said I still have yet to choose the Pit Bull that will be in this book/project. Bob is beautiful and I really love the pictures you sent, it will most likely be him.

I also checked out your blog and I really liked it, very interesting and informative.
I will definitely let you know when I have settled on a pit bull and I will keep you updated as to the Pit Bull Portrait Project.
Thanks again for your interest, I appreciate all of the support. "


He actually sent that letter to my Mom, cause of course, some two legs find it strange to talk directly to me, but Mom reads me all our mail and so I got really excited.

We also took a look at the breeds that Mr. William didn't have yet and found that he needed a Tibetian Spaniel and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi.    Well, wouldn't you know it?   We take care of both of those dogs and that is how Boomer and Gabirella came to get painted.

Just look:


                                             

This is Boomer.     I asked my Mouse Person to help me learn about his breed and we flew away to Wikipedia  (you KNOW how I love them) and this is what we found:

The Tibetan Spaniel is a breed of assertive, small, intelligent dogs originating in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. They share ancestry with the Pekingese, Japanese Chin, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Pug. This breed is not a true Spaniel; its breeding and role differs quite a bit (Spaniels are gun dogs.) The name Spaniel may have been given due to its resemblance to the bred-down lapdog versions of the hunting Spaniels, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

So that's our Boomer who is a very good boy, except for once when he accidently got out of his house (not when we were taking care of him)   and  we sent ALL of our sitters in the area to go look for him.   Our sitter, Mr. Chas, found Boomer "taking a stroll" a few miles from his home and reunited him with his Dad.     Bad Dog Boomer.


                              


And this is Miss Gabriella who is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi.      Gabby lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her brother and sister who are named Romeo and Julietta.       Romeo and Julie are very remarkable looking and we are happy that from the three, Baby Gabby got to have her picture painted cause she is just the baby of the family.

I have a hard time remembering which one of the Corgi's have a tail and which ones do not, and now I will always remember that the Cardigan's have tails (like me).  My mouse said he discovered these facts in cyberspace concerning the Cardigan.

The Cardigan Welsh corgi (pronounced /ˈkɔrɡi/) is one of two separate dog breeds known as Welsh corgis that originated in Wales, the other being the Pembroke Welsh corgi. It is one of the oldest herding breeds.  

Cardigan Welsh corgis can be extremely loyal family dogs. They do, however, need daily physical and mental stimulation. For their size, they need a surprising amount of exercise. Cardigans are a very versatile breed and a wonderful family companion. They can live in a variety of settings, from apartments to farms.

This is so exciting.     I love to be able to help my friends become famous, and I really am looking forward to working with Mr. William if he decides to paint me.   I am, of course, the World's Most Gorgeous PitBull.    It wouldn't hurt for everyone to send Mr. William an e-mail and tell him how wonderful I am.

Love Bob,


Aloha and Mahalo



And just in case you don't know.... cause I asked Mr. William.      Aloha signifies a general feeling of goodwill and hospitality, so it is used as a greeting, a farewell and a bunch of other stuff    but I didn't know about that other word, Mahalo  which my Mouse told me means "Thank You".      I am obviously Hawaiian now.   All I need is a can of Spam.