The Artful Dog Shopper

Author: Tina Spriggs

I am a dog lover by nature. I have just always loved the little four legged fur balls.

Another thing I have always loved is animal art. It could be photographs, paintings, statues or even dog cartoons.

I don't really know why I like them, but I do. I've noticed there are a lot of other animal art lovers out there too. It seems to be a natural connection.

People with children often have a ton of pictures of thier children. People with pets are not that different. They see the beauty in animals and want to have it to look at.

So how can we take this knowledge and turn it into a great gift idea? Well, there are a few different things that come to mind here.

One I like is getting a great picture of the dog you love and converting it to a black and white picture, then framing it and putting an inscription on the frame.

Now this can be done from you to the pet owner, on behalf of the dog, with something like. ""John, I'll always be your loyal friend. Love, Rocky.""

Or if it's for you, you could put something like, ""This is my faithful watch dog, Bessie.""

Or, if you have lost your beloved companion, as we did last year, you could write something like, ""In loving memory of Lucky. The best bird dog a guy could have.""

In either instance, you could certainly put whatever you think suits the receiver best, those are just some examples.

Our favorite picture is of our late but beautiful yellow Labrador, Lucky. She was out in the field with my husband one day and had been searching and searching for a mallard lost in the tules.

When my husband was ready to give up and call her back, she brought in one of the prettiest birds you ever saw, and she was so proud. The picture was snapped and now is forever matted in the most appropriate frame: A ceramic model with a yellow dog chasing some flying mallards.

Go get 'em, Lucky.

About the author: Tina Spriggs is an expert dog lover whose lifelong interest in canines provides the motivation for her site. To learn more about dogs or to find gifts and toys for them visit her site Dog-Gifts-and-Toys-for-Dog-Lovers.com. Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.