For years I’ve looked for little pieces of affordable art with dogs as the subject and I have picked up a few. Too few.

That’s because very often the paintings I find hoarded away in antique shops and squirreled away in junk stores that involve dogs, often also involve a frightened fox, a horrified hare or galloping git in a red coat.

It’s not my scene. And before you start, I don’t care if it’s yours. You will never convince me hoofing about on horseback in order to kill other animals is a pastime worth pursuing. Odd for a girl who has hounds, hunting hounds? No. My dogs are professional pets .. they do not work for a living, they do not hunt, they eat green beans in their dinner.

And actually Rufus now thinks horses are electrified thanks to a fizzing fence he came across at the Belwade Horse Welfare centre in Aberdeenshire this summer. He was sure it was that bloody horse that zapped him … and we’ll just leave it at that.

So back to the art dahlinks. This week I discovered Steve Sanderson from Northern Ireland.

And I’m happy.

And here’s why.

Mr S gets it. I’ve never met this man but I feel he must have good heart, a howling sense of humour, a sentimental soul that recognises the love of a good woofer as a gift from the gods and he’s a dab hand at the aul’ paintbrush .. Have a look.

Now there’s an arse to be proud of. I’m sure I’ve met this woman in East Belfast. She has fine calf muscles and makes good soda bread. The dog of course would be called Wee Dotes.

And here is an other …

I love this. In an other world this would be Hank of the #savehank campaign that raged for 20 days in Belfast this summer.

I’ve met Hank, I’ve cuddled him and he’s given me a right good snog. If Hank had a window like this, he would hang out of it with his owner Joanne Meadows making Dasterdly and Mutley voice-overs onto unsuspecting Belfast shoppers below.

Here’s the real Hank…

http://www.sandersonart.co.uk/

http://rehoming.worldhorsewelfare.org/searchresults

Right. I’m off. Things to do.