BUSTER the black lab and why I put animals onto pottery

(Buster in 1999)
You can see Buster now, age 11 today, around 120 pounds more or less. Above you see him as a puppy when he was the size of a boot. He is the most cheerful and sweet natured and well-behaved dog on earth (Penny is all that too, except for the well-behaved part :) and Buster has, as many dogs do, a sad background.

On my birthday in April of 1999 we were driving past a neighbor's house in New Hampshire and there was a card in a tree saying PUPPY FOR SALE and a girl sitting in the yard playing with a little lab puppy.
Turns out they were taking care of Buster for another friend, and 2 days before the girl was practicing driving in the driveway and Buster was attacked by the family goat and Buster was chased into the car's path. He sustained a broken leg and concussion. The family, although quite well-to-do, took him to the vet but refused treatment for him, saying they would either sell him or have him put to sleep rather than treated. MESSED UP thinking, but we took him.

We already had 2 dogs, and our older lab Jack bit Buster badly on the nose, but they became the best of friends.
Our vet got the x-rays of Buster's back leg and told us he would be FINE. And he was fine. He was very easy to raise as a puppy because he had our other 2 dogs, plus he is just a quiet and sweet dog.
He had a play pen in the living room and as he grew and his leg healed, one day, as you see in this pic, he hopped up to look out and see what we were doing and we were overjoyed--his leg was in good shape, he would be OK, and it GOT ME THINKING.
I had made pottery at that point over 15 years but had never done any sculpting, but it looked cute, him hanging on the edge, and I thought it would be neat on a bowl. As you see in the other pic, I figured out how to make a dog hanging over the edge, and Buster really PAID FOR HIMSELF that summer. All these pots had these pictures and this story attached and sold like hot cakes.
I started fiddling around and developed up to 2 dozen or maore different sculpted animals like the pigs and cows and all and a million glaze styles to with them, all thanks to Buster.
So as I say, he turns 11 today, and up to this past week he has been in superb health, trim, athletic, doing what he wants. The same leg has bothered him this week and he vomited several times yesterday and today,and I am babying him.
Happy birthday Buster.