Museum of the Dog Visit

On Sunday, I did have the wonderful opportunity to visit the Museum of the Dog. Originally, the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog was located in New York City. But by 1981, the Museum had already become too large for its location.

In 1987, the Jarville House in Queeny Park (St. Louis, Missouri) became the new home for the Museum. The Jarville House’s history dates back to 1853 when John Renard, an early settler, built the home for his second wife. The red brick house is an example of Greek Revival architecture–one of the few remaining “outstanding examples” in the St. Louis area.

In 1989 a 14,000 square foot addition was constructed for the Museum, and the original carriage house was converted to the gift shop and offices. The completed Museum with its permanent collection formally opened in November 1990. It boasts “the country’s largest collection of art, artifacts, and literature on man’s best friend.”

Some top-notch dogs are pictured at the Museum. Here are two: Barney & Miss Beazley, in the White House International Diplomats’ Reception Room (by Constance Coleman, 2005)
This portrait shows none other than President George W. and Laura Bush’s dogs.

Museum of the Dog

Here are my staff–(from left to right) Herman, Holly, and Henry–working hard as usual.

In celebration of DOGGIE DAY CAMP and its wonderful illustrations by Kit Grady, they discovered a very special canine location–the MUSEUM OF THE DOG. This museum in St. Louis, Missouri, has the “world’s finest collection of art devoted to the dog.” More than 700 paintings and other art work–all about dogs!

Since the museum is close by, my staff has suggested a field trip. Check back next week. We hope to share with you our artistic dog adventures when we visit the museum.

In the meantime, why not try your hand at creating some dog art of your own. The library should have illustration books as well as books on all different kinds of dogs. I’ll ask Kit how she came up with her illustrations for Bubba and his friends in DOGGIE DAY CAMP.

And if you just want to read a totally silly dog book, try Dav Pilkey’s DOGZILLA.