Tired of people telling you “It’s just a dog” when your dog is your best friend and possibly the only one that really knows you?
Tippi helps me hold my life together. With her, I get out of bed in the morning motivated to face the day with calm resilience. There is something about her boundless love, knowing that she is content to hang out on the loveseat while I work or go on an adventure in the woods, that brings me hope and a connection with the world.
This is a collection of my portraits of Tippi combined with inspirational quotes from dog lovers from all walks of life. The photographs are hand-colored using watercolor pencils.
Tippi has shown me how wonderful the world is with a special companion that has kind eyes, four paws, a wet nose, and an open heart. She is not “just a dog”, she is family!
Emotional support animals (ESAs) are more than mere pets; they are companions that enhance the quality of life for people diagnosed with mental health challenges. Not everyone gets the importance of having an ESA but for some, the ESA’s presence is critical to their ability to function normally. A pet becomes an ESA when their human needs them.
Prints are available for some of the images, others are available upon request.
The book is currently available from:
Below are double page spreads from the book. For more images of Miss Tippi, click here.
When I began to create art again, I started with my favorite subject. I have plenty of pictures of Tippi so it was hard to narrow down which ones to work with so I just dug in. I decided to try watercolor pencils on these and I love the way they look.
As I was deciding how to present them, quotes about dogs began showing up on my social media feed. I began collecting quotes and the book became a book for adults as well as children. I hope you find joy in the images and gain inspiration from the quotes.
