A SALUTE TO OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS!
June 5, 2009
Whenever there’s a slow news day, they’ll run a heartwarming story about a cat calling 911 and saving its masters life or a dog who saves a family by barking relentlessly during a fire. Although these heroes are certainly worthy of media attention, I’d like to pay tribute to the millions of dogs and cats who are more than just companions.
As long as I can remember I’ve had an animal in my life that’s been less of a pet and more of a sidekick. They’ve shared the joy of a new romance with me, as well as the pain of heartbreak. They’ve celebrated business triumphs with kisses and wags and helped me get through dozens of setbacks with nuzzles and licks. When you confide in a dog or a cat, you know one thing for sure…they’re not going to gossip!
In the late 70’s I brought Nookie, a Cairn terrier, over from Harrods in London and he helped me get through some pretty hard times. I remember once I came home after a hard frustrating day and laid down on my back exhausted with tears running down my face. Nookie came over, stood on my chest and dropped his favorite toy, a nasty little hand puppet name “BaBa” on my face. At first I started gagging, then I started laughing uncontrollably. I can’t think of any human who was able to change my mood faster than Nookie could; it was like having a monkey around without all the empty peanut shells.
As a tribute to him, when I was recording my album for Casablanca, Art Munson, Joe Klein and I produced a track, “Is The Puppy Hungry?” that featured Nookie and his friend Lester ( Joe’s dog ), barking in rhythm to a reggae track. When the president of the label, Neil Bogart heard it he said, ” This could sell a million records, but not on my label!” I was crushed, but Nookie and Lester kept right on playing.
Animals can make a positive difference in your morale which becomes essential if you have health problems. After sharing my life with Nookie for 12 years, he passed away. I felt lost for quite a while and didn’t want the responsibility of having another dog. 13 years ago, when my friend Allan Rinde got married and moved to Nashville, he asked me to take care of his cats, because his wife, was allergic to them.
I’ve always been a dog person and didn’t even know how to properly pet a cat. It wasn’t long, however, before they had me trained. When I had a spinal operation, my hands closed up on me and my 25 pound cat Whoppy would lie on my right hand to open it up. It wasn’t long before his girlfriend Streaker would lie on my left hand and open that one up as well. I can’t tell you how many times that touching them while they were purring calmed me down when I was stressed out. I don’t know how long they’ll be with me on earth, but I thank God for every minute we’re together.
A couple of years ago I started using acrylics to create animal portraits on quartz, which I called Petz Rock. I’m really proud of what I created. If you’d like to see some of my favorites, click onto http://artiewayne.com/petz.html
Copyright 2009 by Artie Wayne
BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB! https://artiewayne.wordpress.com
Artie Wayne On The Web 
June 6, 2009 at 5:57 am
Artie,
I enjoyed your tribute to the animals in your life. I’ve had similar experiences & adventures, from lizards & horned toads to dogs & birds. My life is richer for these little pieces of God’s love.
Thanks!
June 6, 2009 at 10:37 am
Magic Artie,
You have the gift to express what many cannot about their animal companions… Jesse my Staffie I swear undersood every word I spoke and she also was my biggest music critic. She would cheer me when I was sad and rejoice with me when I was happy… when we chatted she would stare intently into my eyes wih what I can only describe as total love and affection.
Thank you for the insight…
Dave.
June 6, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Thanks for writing,I really enjoyed your newest post.I think you should post more frequently,you obviously have talent for blogging!
June 7, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Back about 10 years ago when we were living in Tenn. Robin was over visiting our friend Rene Armand. Rene had just rescued a scrawny little kitty from John Kay (of Steppenwolf fame) and his wife Jutta. Henry was the runt of the litter and destined to be a barn cat. Robin called and asked if we could take him. We already had 2 other cats so I was hesitant but when she said his name was Henry (my middle name) I knew it was fate.
The other kitties have passed on but Henry is still with us and sometimes if I listen real hard at night I can swear I hear him humming “Magic Carpet Ride”!