Marty el Bandito

Here are some watercolor studies of the dog with the softest fur this side of the Mississippi.

Actually, Marty also held the softest fur title on the other side too. My wife adopted him back when she was living in California and found him at Beverly Hills dog pound. His claim to fame was being Clint Black's favorite.  Who could resist that endorsement?
 
He was truly one of a kind, and I'm not just saying that because he was ours.  Along with his super silky white coat, he had big dark eyes which were a striking compliment to his fur.  He also had unique proportions.  People always thought we was a puppy because of his small stature, short legs and floppy ears. He was far from being a puppy though. His nickname was Snag for all the teeth he had lost in old age.  
 
Best of all he was a tremendous model.  I have hundreds of drawings of him.   Most of them are of him doing what he loved most - snoozing.  I always had a tough time getting his tail too look just right.  It was long and puffy, and he would point it straight up like a flag when he walked.  It was his trademark.
 
Sadly, he passed on a few years ago.  Looking at these sketches reminds me of how special he was and how lucky we were to have him in our life. I'm sure the next dog will be special too, but I doubt we will ever meet another Marty. I'll be posting more him in the future. Stay tuned.