My nextdoor neighbors had a female Australian Shepherd named Raider, and they wanted her to have a litter of puppies. I fixed her up with a terrific Queensland Blue Heeler named Ruben. As much as I resisted getting a puppy, seeing them every day wore down my defenses. The last one to be adopted was the one I fell in love with. Patch not only modeled for this print, but he also was the model for a couple of ceramic sculptures (including one life-size) by David Gilhooly, and his paw print graces David Gilhooly's lithograph, Junk Yard Dog.

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