Patrick McDonnell's Guard Dog Is Now A Book!!

It's Maria's MutS and Stuff.

What a great idea on iHeartRadio.

Welcome to Maria's Mutts and Stuff. And with me is return guest because I love him and his work so much. It is Patrick McDonald, the creator of Mutts. So Patrick, thank you, and I have to say congratulations from the get go on your thirtieth anniversary of Mutts.

Yeah, it's amazing.

It is amazing.

Sometimes it feels like I just started, and sometimes I feel like I've been doing it.

Forever, of course, of course. But well, first of all, I guess I should remind people who are listening the last time you and I spoke it was the end of last year, and it was after guard Dog was freed and adopted. And I actually listened back to the last time and we were talking about guard Dog becoming a book, and you were like, yeah, it's in the works, we'll see and now it's reality. So congratulations on that as well, Thank.

You, Thank you. Actually was the quickest book I ever did, and you know, the guard Dog story ended in December of last year, and usually books for this year are already put to bed. But I talked to my editor, Charlie Katchman and asked him if we could get this book out, and he said, well, if we could do it in like three or four weeks, we can. So that we put the book together in three to four weeks, which is pretty quick to put up. Yeah, this side together.

It damn no, of course. Yeah, yeah, well that's that's phenomenal. Three. I mean that's very like quick turnaround.

Yeah yeah, well, you know, the story was so powerful. I just wanted and then the people enjoyed it so much. I wanted the book to come out as soon as possible, So it came out, actually came out a day before the thirtieth anniversary of months.

I saw that. That's it. So congratulations on both. I mean that must have been like a double whammy, amazing for both, you know what I mean, both days two in a row like that. Was that planned to have it around your anniversary or just so happy and no, you.

Know, actually they were shooting for it and they made it. Oh nice, The book company thought it would be a nice Absolutely, it's a beautiful tribute.

And you know, timing is nice, and you know what it's it's almost like having a construction job and it actually ended on time, you know what I mean, it was perfect.

It's probably as rare, probably as rare as that.

Well, the book is beautiful and it's exactly as you had talked about when we spoke last and and uh, you put you know, it has responses from people because I know and we talked about it when guard Dog was freed, and you were kind of blown away from all the comments from your readers. Uh that what what an impact? And you know is that still happening?

Yeah, well, you know every time, you know, it's really nice. You know, whenever a new guard Book strip appears and he's you know, in his new loving home with Doozy, we always get we always get a great response. People love seeing him now finally having a happy, healthy life. And I don't blame him, you know, it's funny. You know, I had him chained up for like twenty eight years, which sounds crazy, but it's true, right, and mainly because you know, I'm obviously friendly.

With a lot of animal protection groups.

Sure it all said he had a job to do in a mission to you know, get that message out there about tethered dogs. Right. But now that I finally freedom, even me. I just loved drawing him free after after drawing him on the chain for so long. It's so nice to have him happy and with and have him with his little friend Doozies.

Yeah. Yeah, it's so sweet. It was like such a happy ending. And you know, we just and I was thinking of this. We just saw with the hurricanes that happened with Helene and Milton, and there was a video that went viral of a dog that was tethered and a please officer actually stopped on the road, and I was watching the video. I don't know how many times I watched it. I don't know how the cop even saw that dog. But it was again someone who left behind their dog tethered to the fence in a hurricane.

You know, it's it's it's unbelievable, you know that. You know, I did this story, and it sounds, I'm sure for some people have sounded kind of cruel and fictional, but it's just so sad how it's not that uncommon. I know dogs are left like that.

Yeah, I don't understand it. I mean, I I I know, I can't even say I understand that. I don't like especially if you're leaving enough. Yeah, I mean I can. I can't wrap my head around it. Like if you're leaving your home because your house is going to be flooded, but I'm going to leave my dog chained because he'll survive. I don't know how people think. I don't. I don't.

Yeah, it's I hope the message. God, I felt like, boy, even if just one person sure inspired and unchained their dog, that it was worth it.

I think so. I think people learned from it. I definitely do. I didn't see it anywhere. But are you doing a book tour or thinking of it?

You know I've done. I've done a few places. Actually I just did near a comic con.

Oh okay, oh fun, I.

Tell you it was. It was extra fun. Actually, Matt Groening of The Simpsons interviewed me at comic con.

Oh what I realize. Oh that's awesome, that's great.

It was. It was awesome. We did get to talk about the book and well, no, It's also interesting with the book, so many people wrote it's amazing how many people have chained dogs as pets now, And it's just such a tribute to dogs, how you know, you know, like one human could treat them so horridly and then they could, you know, forgive that and be so loving and gentle off their new guardians. Just a tribute to the heart of dogs.

That's true. It's true. I mean people should be as forgiving as dogs are. I'm always fascinated and amazed by that, because they really are. It's true. And you always hear these stories, and you know, you see stories all the time of dogs that go through so many hardship, you know, ones that are forced to be fighting dogs, and then they become you know, just companions and just want to be loved and just you know, sit on the couch

You know, in the book, it's not only the you know, the story that appeared in the newspapers for seven weeks and it's newly I newly colored it, but also in a book we have at the back of the book, we have some true life stories with photographs of you know, readers who wrote about their.

Own dogs that were chained dogs.

So, and there's also a thirty page introduction where I kind of give the history of a guard dog in the strip.

Yes, And were there any because I know, I'm sure you had so many stories, because I know you had said that too in the past, that so many people were reaching out about their own guard dog or a dog that was a guard dog. Is there anyone in particular that's in your book that stood out a little bit more than others.

Or maybe not? I think, Yeah, I was gonna say, I think they were all powerful. You know. It's funny. My editor every year goes visits, spends the fourth of July with a friend upstate New York. And these people have two dogs, and the dogs love my editor and he's known.

Them for like ten years.

And it wasn't until the book came out that he found out these two dogs he's known his whole life were used to be chained. His friends never told him that story.

Wow.

So it's again just how many. It's amazing how many dogs you know, through shelters found new homes.

Sure, yeah, I'm just scratched. I scratched my head over it, like I just I don't know. I mean, I think it's come a long way, but I think we need to come a little bit longer, you know, because people are still doing it. But we have made progress over the years. So I guess we should be grateful for that. And thanks to you, you know, with guard Dog who who you know, trained many people and taught many people like, yeah, it's not a good thing to do.

Yeah, you know, it's true. I'm optimistic. I mean, you know, there's still long ways to go, but in so many animal issues. I feel like there's been so many, you know, in the last in my lifetime just seeing them, so many.

Changes, you know, Oh definitely, yeah, me too.

No, Yeah, so I get I get optimistic to see that there has been changes, and I think I think the younger generation, more and more kids are just coming into us and realizing that animals, you know, deserve better lives.

Yeah, I agree, I definitely agree with that. And I think and I think it goes across the whole the whole span of of like animal welfare. I mean, think about being a vegan or a vegetarian twenty years ago, and it was like, oh, you can eat a potato, you know, and now and now it's very very different, and there are so many younger people I know who are vegans, are vegetarians and before I mean I remember when I first went people, and this is a long time ago, and people looked at me like I had

Know, so yeah, no, my wife and I've been being for a.

Real long time.

Yeah, and You're right, it's so much easier now and every you know, it's it's amazing. I mean, we were in Europe two years ago and I was thinking, well, maybe it's not going to be you know, we're not going to be able to have that many vegan meals, but every restaurant we went to had vegan venues.

So that's amazing.

Yeah.

How times have changed, thankfully, But yeah, it was very very different. And I think the fact, like you said, with younger people, I think that is actually that's helped us, you know, because yeah, no, it's true. Yeah.

Even at my book signings that I'm talking like twenty years ago, you know, so many times I'd have parents with really young children come up, and the parents weren't vegan. But they're saying the kids want to be vegan, and they're raising their kids vegan. So I think kids come into this world, you know, loving animals, and I think now this this younger generation is actually doing something about it.

Yeah. I think so too, because I've heard the same thing with parents aren't but their kids are, and I'm like, yeah, you know, so yay future generations.

You know.

So I noticed on your website, of course, because it is your thirtieth anniversary, and I love that you did kind of the history of year by year from when you first started, so over thirty years September fifth to nineteen ninety four, from nineteen ninety four till now twenty twenty four. And I know, like the vegan was something that you introduced. I saw you many years ago. How

You know, it was a slow evolution for me, you know when I started. One of my first goals when I started was that I really did want to keep Earl and Mooch.

In the animals in the comic very animal like.

You know, there's a lot you know, like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, which who are animals, but they don't actually.

Get right exactly right.

I think, you know, the strip was inspired by my own dog Girl and I and as well pet owners know your dogs and cats have personalities, they're funny. They don't need to be human to.

Be funding right, right exactly.

Yeah. So you know, my goal in the beginning was to try to see the world through their eyes and you know, keep them as as animal like as possible. Of course they talk, but you know, they keep them animal alike. And I think once I started going that route, you know, trying to see the world through animal eyes, you know, I started realizing how tough it is for quite a few animals on this planet, sure particularly I started out with dogs and cats and shelters and thinking

And you are you are.

Yeah, So it definitely became a part of the strip and I'm really happy about that and people and people respond to it, and you know, you know, it's nice. A comic strip's so interesting way to make art. You know, for the readers, you sort of become family. You know. It's like I know for me with Peanuts as a kid. I mean, you know, you live with them every day.

So yeah, no, and that's yeah, no, you have. You've been very successful with that, and you know you need to know that because you're right, you don't you I feel like you've opened people's eyes to so many different animal welfare issues without shoving it down their throats because you know, you know how people are, Oh, don't tell me what to do, but you've done it in a very like diplomatic entertaining way. Oh thanks, I tried, No you did, you succeeded. I think Patrick, you definitely have.

And well I'll tell you two projects, okay, One is you know the thirtieth anniversary of Much this year. Next year is the twentieth anniversary of my first picture book for children, and it's a Much book. It was called The Gift of Nothing, and so there's going to be a twentieth anniversary edition of the Gift of Nothing next year, and also with it, there's going to be a new companion book called The Gift of Everything that also starts ear Stars are all of Moot. So there will be

I think we just briefly touched on that. I think, yeah, which.

Was a lot of fun. And part of that book is I started doing these big, kind of abstract paintings, but including the superheroes. So I'm having painting show in Princeton, New Jersey. It's at the Art Council of Princeton and it starts November ninth, goes to December seventh, New Jersey. Yeah I should mention this. How could I forget? Yeah, it's the gallery. The top floor is going to be these huge paintings, but the bottom floor is going to be a Prince hand colored prints.

From the guard Dog series.

Oh wow, if you're a guard Dog fan, you could see these and purchase these these hand colored prints. And each print has a drawing a guard dog on it, so an original trying. Oh that's amazing. Yeah.

So okay, so it's November ninth through December seventh. And tell me again the name of the gallery in Princeton.

It's called the Arts Council of Princeton on Witherspoon Street.

Okay, all right, So well that's a project that's happening right now. That's pretty big. And the next fall will be the two picture books. And I just think there has to be something else going on with you. I just know.

Yeah, Well, the painting's keeping me busy. Yeah, I have a few ideas it's next. But okay, I'm just I'm just literally finishing these two picture books. I just finished the covers this week, so now it's time for me to think what the next project's going to be.

Yeah, yeah, I smell something by the end of the year, just because that's how you are, because that's you know, that's it's like, it's what geniuses do. You can't just stop doing what you do. So but you are. Your plate is very full and I love it. And for listeners who want to get the guard Dog Book and see everything else, go through your thirtieth anniversary. You can

Yeah, that's the important.

Part, it is, and you know, keep doing what you do. Trick. We like I've always said this to you, but I really truly mean we do need more people in the world like you, Patrick McDonald for all you do in your big heart and teaching us all just how to be better people. And thank you for that.

Well, thank you for all you do too.

Likewise, well mine's a really small portion, so and I get to talk to you, so that's great, So thanks so much.

Okay, take care