DOG ART AS THERAPY
Andy Williams’  Memorial to Pal Joey

By Tina Carroll

Standing in line for my double latte, lost in a fog of sadness, I glanced up and was drawn in by the eyes of a dappled Dachshund staring back at me. It wasn’t a living dog, but a painted one, gazing out from a large canvas on the wall.

Suddenly, tears were streaming down my face – not tears of sadness, oddly enough, but tears of joy. One would think that my grief over losing my own Dachshund, Koona-Bug, just two days earlier (on Mother’s Day, no less) would have made this painting too painful to bear. Instead, the colorful image of a happy dog brought on a smile.

I soon noticed that the whole coffee shop was filled with dog art, all painted by Andy Williams. One by one, I soaked the paintings in, marveling at the talent that had produced them. One painting in particular captured my attention. A happy Brindle Boxer was the subject, tongue lolling out. The title card read: “Our Pal Joey. Not For Sale.” Aha, I thought, “This dog must be the artist’s own pooch.” 

I picked up one of Williams’ cards and called to ask him to coffee.

The following week we met up right back where his paintings hung on exhibit. Andy has a warm smile and a down-to-earth ease about him. He laughs a lot. He speaks with excitement, especially when discussing dogs and art, two of my own great passions.

We soon discovered we had something deeper in common:  both of us were grieving lost pets.

For a couple of hours we shared memories. I told my own story of Koona being attacked by neighboring dogs, and my having to put her to sleep. He spoke of his beloved Boxer Joey (my intuition had been correct), including details of his long illness and eventual death.

Williams and his wife had recently relocated from Southern California to Sacramento and purchased a fixer-upper in midtown. Although Joey had recently lost his spleen, he still had a zest for life. He was Andy’s constant companion as he renovated the outside of that home, and served as a magnet for the neighbors and dogs who strolled the area.  All of the paintings in the café exhibit were portraits of Joey’s Sacramento friends, the canines who befriended him in his final months. Knowing that Joey would soon pass, Andy decided on this artistic memorial to his special canine friend.

I was mesmerized as Andy described his methods, his motivation, and his love for Joey. With Koona, the end had been so very different, so sudden. To hide my re-appearing tears, I glanced behind me and a zippy little Corgi smiled back, frozen in time. I laughed aloud and wiped my face. These paintings were clearly therapeutic for me, as was speaking with someone else who had recently lost a beloved animal companion and understood the void left behind.

I felt better as Andy and I said goodbye, no longer gripped with grief. I hugged him and said I wished that Koona-Bug and I had had a chance to meet Joey. He smiled that compassionate smile again and I knew I’d made a new friend.

To see paintings from the “Pal Joey” memorial collection and other samples of Andy William’s art, visit www.andywilliamspaintings.com.

Tina Carroll is Office Manager for Bay Woof. She and partner Fawn live in Sacramento and together wrangle a growing collection of reptiles, a cat, and two beloved dogs.  Koona-Bug, in her fondest hopes, has befriended a brindle Boxer on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, a love named Joey.