The Show Went to the DOGS!

On a very rainy Wednesday August 6th, over a dozen people and dogs came out for the opening of Chewed Toys Project including Howard from Edgecomb, Maine with his human friends Amanda and Andy. They arrived before I did, and I had Big Squeaky Squirrel and baby squeaky Squirrel with me, ready to hang. The day before, whenIinstalled the piece, I could not find BSS and BSS, because I had packed them away so securely they became invisible, temporarily. When I returned home, I went through my boxes again, and there they were in a special bag which had a card that said: to be returned to Howard". 

I brought them with me the next day and upon arriving ascended the stairs to meet folks with their dog. Lo and behold, it was Amanda, Andy and HOWARD!  I explained why the squirrels were not up yet, and replaced two scraps with the squirrels and they are clearly marked, so when i de-intsall, I'll find them easily with the others belonging to Gibson, Minmin and Cora, Mabel, and others who want their friends back! The image of the squirrel her is not Howard's but another dog's.

I also received a wonderful shipment from may in Arizona and will put her note and dog's names on the next post. For now here are some memorable images from the opening.

The Installation

The toys are UP!

The toys are up in Center Sandwich and the show opens tomorrow Wednesday from 5 to 7 pm. The gallery information can be found at Patricia Ladd Cargea Gallery. By the way, if you have trouble accessing our BLOG, try using safari instead of the others, it'll get you there.

Here are a few images of other toys we received. Our most recent shipment came from Arizona!!! I'll be filling in the details soon. 

Greffs and Yorkies and their box o'friends from Arkansas

 

Jackie from Arkansas sent this amazing picture with all of her Yorkies: the picture reads from left to right: Tigger Too: female Greff age 4, Kanga Roo: male Yorkie age 6 months, Winnie Pooh: female Yorkie age 6, and  "E....something" Blue: male Greff age 2.  These toys are just the right size for these small dogs, though as we heard from Marina in Chicago size does not matter, and sometimes dogs like cat toys, too.

Minmi and Cora throw us a bone from Chicago!

Marina writes to us from Chicago and send Minmi and Cora's things on loan. Here is what she writes: Cora was born on a farm, and would prefer to liv in the country where she could survey the landscape and preferably keep track of a herd. Instead, most of the time she is in the city and has several toys she likes to carry around and groom. The small ones are actually cat toys which she appropriates.

 Minmi is no friend to live small creatures who she kills without mercy. But she has a fondness for small toys, which she finds out and about. She found fluffy duck at the beach one winter day. She carried it home with care.

toys from Hershey, Chicago, and Seattle!

Lots of new arrivals, and I have been assembling the inventory so we know who wants toys  back after the show. I have also tried a mini version of what I hope to do and may post a preview. Here are a few more creatures that have come through the door by mail and sea! Jeffrey sent us his pals' Rusty and Alex's toys.

Nike's tough tale of healing and toys

This is what Catherine wrote to us about her dog Nike:

Nike is three. Last year he suffered a ruptured disk and had surgery on four disks. After the surgery he was paralyzed from the waist down for several months. He loves to snort and sniff in the grass and on the beach. Over the winter, while he was paralyzed, he wasn't able to go outside much, because it was too slippery. We walked him with a sling under his back legs (like having a leash for both ends). He is now one hundred percent recovered, thanks to Dr. Marta Agrodnia of the Maine Verterinary Referral Center in Scarborough. Nike's best friend is an orange tabby named Lucy-boy, who accompanies him on many walks around the point.

I have posted a few of his friends, which we will return at the end of the show. Thanks for sharing your friends and your wonderful story. You are a hero!

Mabel and others send lots of love and toys

Mabel sent us many of her toys, and we will be sure to send them back at the end of the show as per request. I posted a few images here.

Mabel and her friends

Here are images of Mabel of Portland Maine. These were sent to us by Lunden and Frank, her dear human friends. Mabel has many chewy friends she enjoys, including Friscaletto (a film star) the sock monkey, and the evisceration of Hedgie, and the joy of two friends at once, Hedgie AND the sheep. More to come on what Mabel offered us from her collection. Check out Frank's films on drawing room's site or see past posts for the links.

pathos and love

more toys, more fun!

Deadline is now extended to July 30th. We are still getting amazing toys from all over the country, and as soon as I inventory the new ones, I'll post the images and notes. Here are few we received in the last two weeks, including a rubber Isaac Mizrahi shoe, fabulous. Who knew fashion could be chewing good fun and chic, too. This monkey's feet have seen better days. I think these objects want to be re-animated. There is so much pathos!

some friends are blue and happy

Here is Bree from Old Town  Maine! Wow, thanks Constance for sending us this lovely hand-made blue friend.

Bree is lovely and generous, and her blue toy will make so many happy when they see it with all the others in August.

Oona Luna sends us her friends

Oona Luna sent us a few of her beloved friends to share. Her friend Janelle wrote us from Prospect, Maine, She tells us that the hedgehog is Tiggy number five! Janelle kindly resews Oona's toys, but admits, that after a while the fabric is just too worn to hold together. Thanks for these wonderful contributions. The red thing has bells in it!

Flash, Blaze, and Westly from Las Cruces

A whole bag from las Cruces NM

Judy and her gang Flash, Westly, and Blaze sent a whole bag of goodies all the way from las Cruces New Mexico to add to the installation. Lots of colorful ones including a penguin's head, a purple duck (gutted), a starfish opened, a strange tail in green, a multicolored, multi-legged creature with rope and fuzz, some kind of woodpecker like bird with fuzz not feathers, and a lovely hot orange bit!

Washed toys from Rosetta and friend

Rosetta sent us some very colorful toys, freshly washed and scented like laundry out of the drier. 

My cats just loved that, and Leila could hardly keep herself from rubbing up against the bag. (She loves scented and perfumed things). She gave her approval. Rosetta sent a whole bag of goodies for us to hang in the exhibit in August, including a very clean, ratty bear with torn ears and tail bitten off, a colorful ropey thing, a one-eyed fish with no more stuffing, a raccoon with a shredded mussel,  and a rabbit made of pale blue fuzz and rope. I am guessing her dog is a long-haired dachshund, based on a card she sent. Rosetta sent everything from Bonita california. WOW! 

Arwen and Brig send toys!

From gutted pineapples to unidentifiable shredded objects, Arwen and Brig have sent some very fine samples of their chewing and gnawing practices. They live in Wimberley, Texas with their friend Cheryl, who kindly mailed these to us all the way from there!  We send our thanks and hope you have lots of cool shade trees and abundant water. It must be darned hot.

more creechies!

More animals keep coming in the mail. These poor specimens really look like roadkill. 

We'll post more shortly! Thanks to everyone who has sent things in. The show will go up August 5th and opens August 6th!  Hope to see you there: Patricia Carega Gallery in Center Sandwich.

Howard and Big Squeaky Squirrel and Baby Squeaky Squirrel

I received a wonderful package recently from Howard of Edgecomb and a lovely hand-written story from his companion humans, Amanda and Andy, who tell of Howard and his fondness for Big Squeaky Squirrel and Baby Squeaky Squirrel, which are on loan to us for the show.

Here's what  Amanda and Andy wrote me:

Big Squeaky Squirrel is ten years old and is Howard's first toy after we adopted him from Lincoln County Animal Shelter. Baby Squeaky Squirrel is 5 years old. Howard loves both, and as you can see, he takes extremely good care of them. For some reason, he hasn't taken to a New Squeaky Squirrel

We think Howard's unusual caretaking of Big Squeaky Squirrel and baby Squeaky Squirrel arises from his unusual first year of his life before we adopted him. Before his rescue by the Shelter, he had no name and was one of dozens of rescued dogs kept by a single owner. His tail hung limp. He was cautious to the extreme.

That first year of Howard's life before his rescue, before our adoption, gave us a dog with the sweetest personality, one who from the very first day with us, sat watching us prepare his food, explored the back of the stereo speakers where he heard voices coming from, relied on his nose to identify us, and despite the beagle in his border collie breeding, never wandered from our house or us. Not once.

He remains committed to his home, to us, and we are all committted to Howard. We love him to pieces, and we love how Howard acts like everything about life is fun and precious, especially Big Squeaky Squirrel and Baby Squeaky Squirrel. The sheer age of these two toys tells a lot about Howard. To see him "play" with them tells even more: very kind and gingerly and careful and very, very loving."

Amanda, Andy, and Howard, thank you for sharing these toys with us for a month or so, We wil also take very, very good care of them and return them to you at the end of the show. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of love and loyalty. Human and canine, a story with a good ending.