I'm making a throw for my good friend Janie. We call her the dog whisperer. She always has a pocketful of treats and time to spend with her canine friends. If she is watching your dog, she doesn't just go to your house and let your dog out in the backyard for a few minutes. She will take your dog for a walk if your dog likes to walk. If you dog likes to run, she runs. If you dog is a couch potato, she will sit outside in the grass and scratch his belly. If you dog is afraid of thunderstorms, she will sit with him and watch TV until they are over. All the neighborhood dogs love Janie, and she loves them.
I finished this top, Elizabeth Hartman's Dogs In Sweaters, for her. My plan is to back it with brown minky. Janie's dogs' names are cross stitched using DMC soluble canvas.
Each dog on the quilt represents one of Janie's dogs.
Henry was Janie's childhood dog, the only one of them who was actually a dachshund. This dog wasn't friendly, but he loved Janie. He was an aggressive little thing who picked fights with bigger dogs and was eventually killed by another dog. This was back in the day when people allowed their dogs to run free, and their were no leash laws.
Alex, a mixed breed of uncertain parentage, was the dog who once ate a whole bag of chicken manure and vomited it up on Janie's rug. It has been long enough that Janie can laugh about it now. Alex was a shy dog who didn't like to leave her yard. She was well loved by their whole family. Janie said when they had to put her down, her husband sat on the floor and cried.
After Alex, Janie's family got Skye, a rescue dog who got off to a bad start when he lifted his leg on the Christmas tree. Eventually he
learned the rules of the house and became Janie's shadow, following her from room to room. Skye looked like a large beagle mix with beautiful slanted eyes. Janie didn't know he had advanced kidney disease until she took him to the vet to get his teeth cleaned, and his bloodwork was abnormal. Skye only lived a few months after that.
Then came Maggie. Maggie was a feral dog until she was about 9 months old. The group that caught her and took her in said that her brother had been shot by some kids. Maggie was afraid of lots of things, but she loved my dog Chase. For several years, my dog Chase spent most of his days in Janie's back yard playing with Maggie. Maggie is 12 years old now, and Chase is 13. They don't get to play together any more because Maggie has terrible arthritis. She has had surgery on both of her back knees. My dog is slowing down, but he still will walk a mile or two each day. On a good day, Maggie will walk around the block. On a bad day, she has a hard time standing up. Maggie is part long haired German Shepherd. She is one of the smartest dogs I've ever known, hence the glasses.
I hope Janie will like this quilt. I've enjoyed planning and making it for her!
