This miniature oil on panel portrait of Bentley, a Toy Fox Terrier, was executed as a Christmas gift for my dear friend, Kathy.
Bentley was the perky companion who filled the lonely moments between encounters with family and friends that Kathy had come to know as a widow. He was a canine clown who entertained endlessly and loved selflessly. He was Kathy's happy traveling companion on her long road trips between homes in different states, and a special bedtime companion for grandchildren. Bentley sounded the alarm that signaled the arrival of visitors and deliveries by the mailman, U.P.S., Fed-Ex, et. al. He was a giant dog in a small body who protected his realm and his people.
One of Kathy's homes sits on over an acre of land in a fairly rural area of Southern California. There she raises sheep and goats, and keeps a small cream colored pony to delight her grandchildren. The yard is attractive to gophers and moles. True to his breeding, Bentley was a ratting dog, and would spend hours watching the holes they made in the hope of catching an intruder. I had gone to photograph Kathy's menagerie and captured an unintentionally funny picture of the pony looking rather miffed at the camera with Bentley furiously digging at a gopher hole in the background, the dirt flying high behind him.
A walking companion, he was not. Kathy tells the story of walking along the streets of Colorado Springs. There are some types of ants there that have a really nasty bite. Bentley got bitten by such an ant on his paw and reacted by flinging himself dramatically onto his back, and thrusting the injured paw in the air, whined and refused to walk further. Kathy had to carry him the rest of the way.
The astute reader has noticed that I keep referring to Bentley in the past tense. Sadly, Bentley went out his doggy door in the early morning hours in September 2017 and was killed by a pack of coyotes that had invaded the yard. He was ever the protector of his realm and paid the price that warriors sometimes do. He is greatly missed and fondly remembered.
- Subject Matter: Dog Portrait
- Collections: Gone To The Dogs