The last time I was in Ocho Rios, I found this wonderful little art gallery and crafts shop downtown. The building was an old courthouse and the owners were a beautiful mother daughter team.
Upstairs, there was this fantastic little coffee and pastry shop, and hanging on the wall was an enormous canvas of a Rottweiler wearing a big gold chain around his neck. Clearly, he is an urban dog surrounded by utility poles and garbage cans. And yet his expression is friendly and welcoming. I had to bring him home! The canvas was too big to carry back on the plane, so it was federal expressed to me by the helpful people at Jamaica Inn. Then, I had to get the canvas stretched at David's Art in Metairie, and at long last I managed to get the panting home yesterday by tying it to the top of my FJ Cruiser and securing it with a combination of bungee cords and dog leashes. My mom had to hold one end of the rope while we drove home in order to keep the painting from flying off!
So, here he is! Displayed prominently on my living room wall above a Jack Lenor Larsen upholstered sofa. Very pop-art. Very cheerful. I LOVE my Jamaican Rottie. I love my real life Rottie, too. Zelda was the sweetest puppy (see below) and she is the most wonderful big girl now. She's funny and playful and amazingly patient with the exuberant poodle and feisty chihuahua she lives with. She's everything a Rottweiler should be. Anytime someone new (like a plumber) comes into our house, she stands by and WATCHES. And that's all she does... she just quietly keeps her eye on anyone she isn't familiar with. I have a strong feeling that if I needed her protection she would rise to the occasion.
