Dogs and Their Designers

Today is August 26, also known as National Dog Day. In honor of all our faithful four-legged friends, we are re-running this post, which originally posted on November 11, 2008.

I love our dogs, Ruby Eleanor and Maude Beatrix. Ruby is the mother, age 6, and Maude is one of her six puppies. (Jessica delivered them all.) Each of our children is linked at the soul to one of these dogs, and they sleep together. Our dogs do tricks: they can open doors. (Regrettably, they have never been able to shut them, which explains my constant, frequently loud lament: “Where were you raised — in a barn?”). And we’re not alone in this: other designers seem to love their dogs, too. I am constantly amazed when I meet dressed-in-black designers from San Francisco who have wee pups, or seemingly-sweet Minneapolis types with bulldogs or pit bulls.

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True, dog owners often resemble their pets, as the old adage goes — but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Design Observer posted an open call for designers to submit photos of themselves with their canine companions. Click here for Cats and Their Designers and here for Gardens and Their Designers.