THE BARK

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.”...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:00:59 -0700

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” —Eudora Welty

A pen and ink illustration from Houn’ Dog by Mary Calhoun,...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 06:01:18 -0700

A pen and ink illustration from Houn’ Dog by Mary Calhoun, artwork by Roger Duvoisin. Duvoisin (1904–1980) was a Swiss-born American writer and illustrator of children’s literature. He is the author/illustrator of Petunia, White Snow, Hide and Seek Frog.

Wishing Lou Reed a speedy recovery after receiving a new liver....

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 06:01:02 -0700

Wishing Lou Reed a speedy recovery after receiving a new liver. Lou Reed with Lollabelle and Laurie Anderson by Mary Ellen Mark, 2001.

The incomparable Audrey Hepburn with her dog Mr. Famous. Rome,...

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:09:34 -0700

The incomparable Audrey Hepburn with her dog Mr. Famous. Rome, Italy, 1960. Photo: Archivio Storico Luce; digital colorization by Lorna Clark.

Don’t do it! Those brand new docking stations for...

Tue, 28 May 2013 09:30:24 -0700

Don’t do it! Those brand new docking stations for NYC’s Citi Bike Share are tempting relieving posts for the city’s dog population but do your part to make this program a success, and resist!

Do a good turn daily: The Boy Scouts of America voted to allow...

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:22:19 -0700

Do a good turn daily: The Boy Scouts of America voted to allow openly gay youths as members, but continue a ban on openly gay adult Scout leaders.

#6 on Lisa Hanawalt’s list of “What Dogs...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:02:01 -0700

#6 on Lisa Hanawalt’s list of “What Dogs Want.” Hanawalt’s new book My Dirty Dumb Eyes (Drawn & Quarterly) collects the best of her cartoons, drawings and illustrations.

This untitled, undated photograph is the work of Mike Disfarmer,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:57:15 -0700

This untitled, undated photograph is the work of Mike Disfarmer, the legendary studio photographer from Heber Springs, Arkansas. He captured the faces of rural America at a defining time in history as the Great Depression yielded to World War II. He documented small town life in America’s Heartland—farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, and their sons and daughters as they donned uniforms and headed off to war. His reputation and appreciation for his singular vision grew after a large cache of his negatives were found in the 1970s, with subsequent exhibitions and books following.

Robb Putnam is an artist who creates large scale sculptures of...

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:01:22 -0700

Robb Putnam is an artist who creates large scale sculptures of cartoon-like dog heads and figures out of discarded materials. The Bark profiled his work in 2009 shortly after his graduation from the Mills College MFA program. Robb’s new work will be featured in the exhibition “Larger than Life: Exploring Scale in Contemporary Art” — June 2 through August 18, 2013 at the Bedford Gallery/Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA.

HBO’s bio pic on Liberace “Behind the...

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:01:18 -0700

HBO’s bio pic on Liberace “Behind the Candelabra” debuts May 26, 2013. Liberace’s fondness for dogs is evident throughout the film — at the time of his death he was living with 25 dogs. This portrait hung in the entry way to his home in Palm Springs.

Al Fritz, the creator of the Sting-Ray bicycle, has died at age...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:38 -0700

Al Fritz, the creator of the Sting-Ray bicycle, has died at age 88 in Illinois. Fritz was Schwinn’s vice president of engineering, research and development and introduced the first Sting-Ray model in 1963. The compact, stylish design was based on a trend of kids “chopping and refitting” standard frames into customized “bike-rods” mimicking the era’s popular muscle cars and hot rods. Millions of the bikes were sold until the they were discontinued in the late 1970s.

Veikko Hirvimaki is a Finish artist, living in Switzerland,...

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:28:27 -0700

Veikko Hirvimaki is a Finish artist, living in Switzerland, known for his rough-hewn sculptures and installations carved from wood.

Mocha is a bright young Pitbull/Lab mix in New Jersey who needs...

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:01:24 -0700

Mocha is a bright young Pitbull/Lab mix in New Jersey who needs a permanent home. Your patience will be rewarded ten fold. www.ehrdogs.org

One of a dozen photos found on Ebay of this young girl and her...

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:01:12 -0700

One of a dozen photos found on Ebay of this young girl and her dogs over a period of 5–7 years.

Last week saw the passing of Deanna Durbin, the wholesome star...

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:01:09 -0700

Last week saw the passing of Deanna Durbin, the wholesome star of Depression-era films, who wryly called her image that of “Little Miss Fix-It Who Bursts into Song.” Her stardom was meteoric and for a short 12-year period, she was hugely popular. Both Winston Churchill and Anne Frank were fans. Durbin is shown here with her beloved dog Tippy, said to have been purchased at a pet store for $2.

NBA Player of the Week: Jason Collins and his dog Shadow

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:03:39 -0700

NBA Player of the Week: Jason Collins and his dog Shadow

RIP Buck Biggers, co-creator of Underdog

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:06:15 -0800

W. Watts Biggers, who with his partner Chet Stover created the 1960s cartoon “Underdog” and wrote its infectious theme song, died on Feb. 10 at his home in Manomet, Mass. He was 85. Underdog, who worked as a humble shoe shiner but transformed into a superhero whenever the reporter Sweet Polly Purebred was threatened, won the spot. Voiced by the character actor Wally Cox, Underdog spoke in rhyming couplets and battled villains like the evil scientist Simon Bar Sinister and the wolf gangster Riff Raff. The show had Underdog segments interspersed with other cartoon characters like the Go Go Gophers and Tennessee Tuxedo.

Underdog Theme Song

When criminals in this world appear
And break the laws that they should fear
And frighten all who see or hear
The cry goes up both far and near
For Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder

Underdog. Underdog!

When in this world the headlines read
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed
Who rob and steal from those who need
To right this wrong with blinding speed
Goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!

The Hyena & Other Men, a series of portraits by Pieter Hugo...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:01:18 -0800

The Hyena & Other Men, a series of portraits by Pieter Hugo of Nigerian itinerant performers who use animals—monkeys, pythons and hyenas to entertain townspeople. The photographs are haunting, surreal, cruel but fascinating imagery, and another indication of man’s brutality. Hugo details the project in an essay entitled “The Dog’s Master.”

Leather dog collars made for Louis Bernacchi’s sled-dog...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:00:37 -0800

Leather dog collars made for Louis Bernacchi’s sled-dog ‘Joe’, who worked on Borchgrevink’s Southern Cross expedition in 1899, and with Bernacchi on the Discover expedition from 1901 until his death in 1902/1903, with brass studs and two brass name plates impressed ‘Joe Southern Cross’ and ‘Joe Discovery’. These extremely rare historical artifacts will be auctioned at Bonhams December 4, 2012.

This New York street art protests puppy mills and quotes...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:00:51 -0800

This New York street art protests puppy mills and quotes Trilussa, the Italian poet.