The dogs in this painting/card are named Mufasa and Rafiki. As the card suggests they are truly friends. They are friends because they live together, and to a large extent because they are both dogs. 
I met them when I first submitted a rack of my cards to the Decorator Warehouse in Lexington. Mufasa and Rafiki are “store dogs”, happily spending their days with shop owner Natalie.
Ironically and more unexpected friends: Sam, our family dog many years ago, and “George”, the orphan baby blue jay. These two became friends as I nursed George back to health. I fed George every day with Sam, still a puppy, watching. As the jay learned to fly Sam became very interested, especially when he saw the bird poop on my friend’s head and my drawing in the same day. 
When he was ready we released George near the town home where we lived at the time. When I walked Sam the blue jay would follow us, flying high in the sky. When I swam in the complex pool, George perched nearby on the fence. When I opened the door to our house, George would fly inside take a bath in the small tub of water on my drawing table. The entire neighborhood came to know and delight in seeing George and Sam frolic together.
It was the perfect yet dangerous (for George) friendship, a result of how a baby bird imprints on whoever it spends time with, in our case a dog and humans. Following this imprinting experience with George I learned how to care for wild animals in a way to prevent such connections. My ignorance in George’s case gave us the opportunity to really appreciate the antics of George the Jay, and our puppy Sam.
Thanks for listening!
Barb
Artful Passages 