Even Curmudgeons Love Curs

On Christmas day, my family and I visited the Jewish Contemporary Museum in San Francisco, where they were having a Maurice Sendak exhibit. We love Sendak's work and totally enjoyed the recent Wild Things movie by Spike Jonze. Cabana couldn't go to the museum with us since she was already career changed--but she was Max for Halloween!

Sendak had an unhappy childhood. Having been sickly as a young child, for the rest of his life, Sendak seemed to see the world as a scary place--which I think shows in his illustrations. That subtle eeriness is what makes Sendak's work so recognizable.

We also watched a documentary about Sendak, and it's clear that although he was a brilliant artist, he's also surly and reclusive. Wary and misunderstood, he doesn't let many people "in". Yet this man has loved dogs all his life. Though prickly with humans, he could let his guard down with these precious animals. In the watercolor of the golden retriever below, there's none of that charactistic eeriness that shows up in so many of his illustrations.

Dogs made their way into many of Sendak's stories, some of which are based on his own dogs. Sometimes, they're heroic, while other times, they're naughty. Kind of like in real life!

Although I liked dogs as a kid, I never paid any attention to them as an adult. They were completely off my radar--until about 2 years ago, when I first got the notion to become a puppy raiser. Since Cabana came into our lives, I now notice every dog passing by, whether I'm walking, driving, or shopping. I look at the breed, how it's walking on leash, and sometimes wonder if the dog is being trained for work. I'll watch any movie or read any book that has to do with a dog. It's crazy! But even crazier is that I didn't understand the beauty and power of having a dog in the family until so recently. Dogs bring out the best in all of us--even us curmudgeons. ;)