Hello There

Hello!  Welcome to my blog, A Bark in Time. 

So, for a little background - aside from being a dog lover, I am an aspiring writer of historical romances.  While researching medieval life for a book,  I looked at paintings from the period to get a visual of what it might have been like.  One painting in particular stood out to me, primarily due to the image of the dog.  The painting showed a typical peasant family eating dinner in their simple home and there, sitting at the end of the table, was a dog.  What was fascinating to me was how well the artist captured this dog - he wasn't just "there", he was clearly begging for food with his intense stare at the dinner table and it made me laugh as I realized some things never change.  (After all, to this day,  a meal is not complete until you've given the dog the table scraps.)

  

Since then, whenever I see paintings, it is my instinct to find the dog...kind of like Where's Waldo: Canine Edition.   So here in this blog I wanted to share the images as I find them.  If you are like me and the mere sight of a dog elevates your mood, gives you a warm feeling, and makes you involuntarily smile, you might enjoy seeing these paintings too. 

As for that medieval painting with the begging dog...I have not been able to find it again.  Oh, I have found LOTS of similar images of dogs begging at tables, but not that one.  That one will be this blog's White Whale.  I will post in, probably, bolded size 48 Comic Sans font when I find it.

So we are clear, this is not a scholarly blog - I know only a little about dogs, less about history, and nothing about art.  (That should be this blog's motto).  This is just for fun but I am looking forward to learning more.  I welcome everyone, everywhere, who loves dogs to enjoy the findings along with me.