Bourbon, Dogs and Art

“Bourbon, Dogs and Art is the name of my art studio/business, and also the name of my blog. (Visit the blog at http://www.bourbondogsandart.com)

Folks ask me where the name came from.

The short answer is bourbon, dogs and art are three things I like.

The long answer is that when our dogs Gerret and Maggie were young we used to take them to dog parks a lot. While they have plenty of space to roam here at home, dog parks were an opportunity to learn to socialize with other dogs.

What I discovered was that while dog parks are great for dogs, they’re usually pretty miserable for people. There might be a bench or two, or some semi-broken lawn chairs to sit on. There’s usually no shade on the scorching summer days and no shelter on the cold winter days. And of course the only amenities are dispensers of plastic bags to pick up dog turds with.

So one day I’m riding home from a particularly grueling visit to the dog park with Linda, Maggie and Gerret and I say, “we should fence off part of our land for a dog park, and put a modest building with windows facing the dog area and a shaded porch. Folks would be able to bring their dogs and turn them loose and then hang out on the porch or inside to watch them. We could have art on the walls like a small gallery and serve folks something to drink.” Linda’s response was, “What would you call it?” Without thinking much I said, “Bourbon, Dogs and Art.”

So who knows? Right now I’ve got the art part. The rest could still happen.