Live from Kathmandu: Nepal's Day of the Dog 2014
October 25, 2014
Nepal has a charming 5-day holiday called Tihar, and the 2nd day celebrates dogs!
Kukur Puja (Dog blessing in Nepali) is my favorite holiday, as you can imagine. The dogs are given food treats and garlands of marigolds and often red tikas (blessings) on their foreheads.
Kids also like this day. The streets of Kathmandu are loaded with lights and brilliant strands of marigolds and purple gomphrenia festoon the doorways and windows.
These happy puppies are born into a lucky household. They are one-month old. I found these pups by following the mother dog, Kanti, to their middle class Nepali home. I was pleased to see that they were indeed getting the royal treatment, including a bowl of milk. They preferred their mom however.
It is the first Day of the Dog for this young dog with his two young masters. This puppy was soft, friendly and beautiful - well loved!
These dogs got along as they waited for meat being cut to be offered to them. All in all a great Day of the Dog in Kathmandu, 2014.
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Now is the time to order: Be ahead of the Pack! Orders now being accepted for the November 2014 trip. I will be back in early December 2014 in plenty of time to mail holiday orders.
1. Please send me a photo of your pet. I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work. Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint. These can be hung indoors or out.
2. Let me know what you would like it to say.
3. Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer: naive, realistic, colorful, etc.
4. Tell me your pet's name and breed.
5. Send your photo to me at: [email protected]
That's it !
Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front. If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case. Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!
The cost is $250 plus shipping. Shipping is around $22 per sign (to and from the US). And 9.75% California sales tax for California residents.
Pay after choosing your portrait.
Multiple pets on one sign cost more ($325 for Double, $400 for Triple).
Let's keep these artists painting.
This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world. I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living. Everybody is happy. Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!