A dark, rain-lashed day
Even the dog won’t go out
He’ll hold it till spring.

I had always imagined that, if I ever got a dog, it would be a big, outdoorsy, lab. Instead, due to family pet allergies and my daughter’s preference for a small, cute dog to cuddle with, we have a little white rescue dog who is probably a poodle-bichon mix, both hypoallergenic breeds—and both more likely to be found wearing a rhinestone collar in a Parisian apartment than running around in the untamed wilds of Northern California.

Misha seems to know this: he is so fastidious that if it’s raining, he’d rather spend the whole day indoors by the fire than answer the call of nature. I find myself in the ridiculous position of holding an umbrella over him, urging him to do his business so we can go back inside, while rain falls on my head.

The above piece, which I wrote and painted this past winter, is now available as a limited edition 11 x 14 print. I’ve also had another in my “Haiku for Dog Lovers” series made into a limited edition print, “Long walks on the beach,” as shown below.

I individually sign and number each print. These are professionally printed by Bug Press in Arcata, California on an HP Indigo press that produces offset-quality reproductions using fade-resistant ink. The pieces are printed on acid-free paper from a supplier certified to be 100% carbon-neutral.

These prints as well as originals, cards, and handmade books, can now be purchased using Paypal or credit cards at the MakinoStudios online store on Etsy.

Misha is asking to go out, so I’ll sign off. I’m glad we don’t need an umbrella today. I just need to make sure that no blackberry vines get tangled in his rhinestone collar.