In April, our beloved English Bulldog of more than 15 years, died.  It was and is very sad.

About one week after his death, I was walking to my favorite neighborhood (Chelsea) coffee shop, Grumpy's , and ran into a neighbor and friend--the artist Barbara Sandler.  Barbara often walked her dogs while we were walking ours (Junior, our Frenchie, turned 14 on July 17th).  Barbara asked me about Bob and immediately offered to paint a portrait.

Bob by Barbara Sandler

A few days later, we had an appointment with the General Manager of the new Crosby Street Hotel to discuss our amenity program for their rooms.  Rushing to our appointment (as usual, we were late), we jumped in the hotel's elevator, and, low and behold, there was a photo of Bob hanging in the center of the car!  We were certain it was Bob--he was standing in front of our apartment building.  The manager later told us that he himself took the photo while wandering the streets of NYC one afternoon.

Bob at the Crosby Street Hotel

Just this morning, another dog-friend-neighbor (Dede the Boxer's father) stopped me.  He asked about Bob, and, then mentioned that his vet, the Gramercy Park Animal Hospital, has a photo of him in front of our store in their office.  This is again unique since we have never used this veterinarian.

Bob at Gramercy Park Animal Hospital

Maira Kalman, a friend and artist, in 2000, painted a portrait of Bob (and Andrew) as character's in her children's book called What Pete Ate A-Z.  Bob's "ball" is "B".  Not to be outdone, our friend Seattle based friend and artist, Victoria Haven, created a Bob picture book for us, chronicling her time with him (and us) during a visit she made to NYC many years ago.  Bob has also been featured in Life Magazine for a story about what people eat for breakfast (he was the token dog).  Of course, he has been featured in many beauty editorials with us, including the New York Times and WWD.

Bob and Andrew by Maira Kalman

When we opened the door to our Chelsea store in 2004, Bob and Junior came to work with us every day.  Junior sat near our desks, waiting for food or a lap to keep him warm.  Bob, by choice, sat in our front window to watch the passersby (no, not greet customers--he couldn't be bothered).  Before we moved to our offices three years later, he sat in the same spot, every day.  And, without exaggeration, was photographed possibly 10 to 15 times per day, each day he was there.

Barbara just finished Bob's portrait and presented it to us the other day.  It made me want to cry.  She really did "channel" Bob and entirely captured his essence.  Not only do we have this to remind us of him, but, we have the potential surprise of the thousands of random photos that are awaiting our acknowledgment.  How great is that?

Bob

If you have any photos of Bob, we would LOVE to see them. E-mail to info@malinandgoetz.com

Bob in Chelsea

Erica sent us this adorable photo of bob lounging at our Chelsea store.