The Dog Days of July
From the July issue of Kovels Antique Trader, editor Kele Johnson looks at vintage photographs, second chances, and the dogs who save us back.
In Texas, July rolls in like a sun-drenched retriever—panting, pushy, and smelling a bit like stagnant pond water. The “dog days” of summer are here, and it seems only fitting that I curled up with Love Immortal: Antique Photographs and Stories of Dogs and Their People, a tender and beautifully crafted book by Dr. Anthony Cavo. As our readers know, Dr. Cavo is our resident expert in all things collectible. In Love Immortal, he pays tribute to the timeless bond between humans and their four-legged companions, captured in evocative vintage photographs and poignant personal narratives (along with a poem called A Dog Adieu that had me in tears over every pup I’ve ever loved and lost). Each image, whether a formal studio portrait or a spontaneous snapshot, holds a story that lingers, just like the dogs themselves.
It also got me thinking about my best “beast” friend, Malachi. He’s not exactly cover-model material (unless the cover is Land Manatees Monthly), but I wouldn’t trade him for all the beauty queen canines in the world. I rescued him a little over three years ago, right after I lost my beloved Maynard, my ride-or-die pup of eleven years. At the time, I couldn’t imagine letting another dog into my heart, and doing so was the furthest thing from my mind. But then I saw a photo of Malachi in an online group I frequent. He was physically wounded, and his demeanor so visibly soul-crushed and utterly defeated that I couldn’t look away. He’d been used as a bait dog in a dog fighting ring and was in rough shape inside and out.
No one else had stepped forward to save him, and as my heart broke for his shattered little soul, I made, what seemed at the time to be, a monumental decision. I stepped forward to foster the dog I later named Malachi—a strong name of Hebrew origin meaning “my angel.” With that, I foster-failed my way into life with an 85-pound Boxer Pitbull mix whose favorite things in life these days are treats and me—in that order. A “foster fail” is someone who takes in a dog with no intention of keeping it, but ends up adopting the dog they only meant to care for temporarily. But truthfully? A foster fail isn’t a “fail” at all, because everyone basically wins—we did.
We’ve been healing together for the last three-plus years. He’s a couch hog, and he snores like a freight train. He’s not exactly photogenic (unless you count the soulful eyes and the “please drop the sandwich” stare), but he’s my steadfast shadow, my solace in an often-chaotic world, and he makes a handy armrest when all he’s left me is a sliver of the couch. Malachi’s presence in my world reminds me daily that love, even when unexpected, can find us when we need it most.
There’s something grounding about the way dogs appear in our keepsakes and collections—from Victorian dog figurines and 1950s “spaghetti” poodles, to vintage lithographs of pups of all shapes and sizes. They’ve padded across postcards, perched in parlor portraits, been memorialized in porcelain, and guarded our memories as fiercely as they guard us. The dog days of summer might leave us wilting, but the loyalty of a good dog and the objects that celebrate them have a way of reviving the spirit.
So, here’s to the mutts, purebreds, and the collectibles we gather in their honor. Whether you collect antique dog-themed treasures or simply cherish the wagging tail waiting at your door, this season is for you. And if you have a story (and a photo) of your own beloved pooch, or beloved collection of pooch-related treasures to share, we’d love to see them. Who knows? There may be a tale of a tail to share in there somewhere.
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