Franky is a Dog of Convenience

Franky was like "Which toy should I fall asleep with?" And then he chose the closest one so that way he didn't have to move.

Franky was Born Cozy

Does Franky dream of super-cute sheep?

Franky is Possessed III

Do you see what I see?

Franky is possessed again.

Blue Maze, Sinatra, Ducati

The Maze was painted by an Italian, the Ducati was made by Italians, and Franky's name for the first 9 months of his life (before we got him) was Sinatra.

Franky in the Morning

Good morning Mr Bighead!

Franky is Lonely

Franky saw the 2 plastic bags moving back and forth on the sidewalk in the distance and he perked up and started charging toward them because he thought that they were dogs and he wanted to play with them.

Franky the Russian

Russian is the obvious one. To me he looks more like Anthony Hopkins

Franky and His Arch-Enemy

Franky and the cat see each other all the time at the hardware store. They hate each other. When Franky is cruising by on the sidewalk in front of the hardware store, which happens several times a day, he always looks through the door to see if the cat is there so he can bark and kick his legs and be a tough guy. Sometimes when Franky isn't looking the cat runs up to him on the sidewalk with his back all bent to spring into action. They obviously hate each other but they are both unwilling to come within three feet of each other so I never worry about Franky getting hurt, because although I love Franky I think that his arch-enemy would claw his eyes out in 2 seconds. However the above two photos were taken on a weird day when Franky was actually scary to the cat in the hardware store, and so the cat ran up the ladder, like the complete coward that he is because Franky would have killed him.

Franky at Dinner

We've somehow lead him to believe that he is a member of the family.

Franky and the Pig Femur

The dude at the bodega meant well, but it was much too big for Franky. All he could do was lick it and feel inadequate.

Franky and his Brush

Anything witty I could write here would only be a distraction from Franky's utter cuteness

Franky Can Spy

Just because you locked the door it doesn't mean he can't watch you go

Franky is Possesed II

This is what happens when Franky cannot reach the BBQ

Franky is Immortal

Above is a 12ft by 12ft painting of Franky painted by Jim Herbert from the photo below. I think the painting captures Franky's eye-gunk beautifully.

Franky the Hobo

...and so Franky made himself a lean-to and held up for the night on a bench by the Newtown Creak

Franky Stalemates His Nemesis

After about 20 minutes Franky just gave up. Oddly enough Bizarro Franky gave up at the same exact time.

Franky Ain't Going Out Like That

It was like zero degrees and windy so I figured I'd give the red thing a shot, but Franky was like yo it ain't happenin, what would all my dogs on the block think?

Franky Forgot His Coat

I took him for a walk and he was all cold and then we both realized that he had left his coat in his doggy bed again, so we quick ran back to get it.

Franky Guards Stuff

Without Franky I would have no beer, clothes, or feminine side.

Franky RePurposes

I was doing a little Spring cleaning and decided to throw out two pairs of shoes that leaked all Winter. But before they made it to the garbage Franky was like "Wait! I can use those shoes to sleep on!"

So yeah I held on to them.

Franky Can Be Evil

If you dig through the whiskers and hair and find his lips and part them, then Franky appears to be evil, and also exhibits more proof that he is no show dog.

Franky Waits and Wonders

Franky spends half of his life waiting and the other half wondering what the hell is going on. And intermittently he thinks about what he will eat next.

Franky Plays Kurtz

The Horror! The Horror!

Franky and a UFO

It turns out they didn't come to abduct him, they just wanted to see how cute he was

Franky and The Bench

Just after I finished making the bench Franky jumped up on it and was like "I like this bench and I'm gonna spend a lot of time chillin on this bench"

Franky is a Smart Dog

When I asked Franky if he wanted to take a walk with me to the bodega he was like I ain't going nowhere.

Franky Possessed

Must. Eat. Meat.

Franky Loves The Bodega

Every time Franky walks past the bodega he tries to drag me in there since every couple of days they give him the end cut of the Boars Head ham.

Franky's Food-Coma Camo

After eating 2 hot dogs, an Italian sausage, and 2 pork ribs, Franky turned himself the color of the concrete, so as to avoid capture by his enemies while he slept.

Stanley Coren was Right About Franky

We were all running around packing and getting ready to leave town for the weekend and Franky was like "If I hang out in their luggage then they'll have to bring me with them".

Shi-Tzu's were rated the 70th in intelligence out of the 80 breeds of dogs, by Stanley Coren, in his masterpiece The Intelligence of Dogs, (1994).

I agree with Stanley, because if Franky were a genius he would remember that we bring him everywhere with us.

Franky is Not a Show Dog

The American Kennel Club prefers Shit-Tzu's to have forward facing front paws.

But look how his tail curls in a perfect circle, surely that is worth just as many points.

Franky Can Cook

Dirt Soup.

Franky is Iconic

This is an iconic image of Franky.

It is important for historical figures to have iconic images.

Franky is Trapped

Franky is trapped. And he is falling asleep.

Proof That Our Love of Franky is Reciprical

Such a good dog. He left us a present in the back room. He was being all sheepish that morning because he thought he had done something wrong. But I told him he was free to let us know how much he loves us in any way he chooses, for a dogs affection only comes in so many forms.

Franky Scans the Horizon

Should I go left or should I go right?

Franky's life is a series of such decisions.

My Dog Is Cuter Than Yours

You heard me.

Franky Likes Icepops and Has a Long Tongue

I'm no National Geographic photographer, but I think his tongue is fully extended.

Franky's First Studio-Visit

Franky looks regal in front of Avi Adler's new painting. He was a little needy that day I remember. I think because I was paying to much attention to the paintings and not enough to him.

He's funny like that. I could be with him all day and he'll just be chillin, but the second someone comes over that he doesn't know he turns all codependent and jealous and jumps up on my legs and tries to chew my fingers and play with me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.

Franky Doesn't Like Loud Unpredictable Noises

This is Franky and a couple of dogs hiding in the bathroom on The Fourth of July because of the fireworks.

In general, Franky is not bothered by loud noises. He was only hiding because the loud noises could not be predicted.

For example, if I am using a chop-saw or a table saw to cut up a bunch of wood, he quickly realizes the expectation of loud noise, and has no problem falling asleep a couple of feat away.

I think that if he were in the front yard where the fireworks were being lit off, he would have quickly gotten used to it. Especially if it was me that was lighting them.

Franky is Darwinianly Cute

This is what you see when Franky is asking you for more meat.

There must be a Darwinian base for Shi-Tzu's being so cute. They were never in the wild so they never had to be tough and know how to fight or scare someone. To get a lot of nourishment, and therefore live longer (and increase the likelihood of contributing to the gene-pool), they simply had to be super-cute, so the nearest human would gladly part with a portion of his meal.

At least that's my half-ass theory.

Anyway, you try saying no when it's your turn.

Soft Spot for Franky

This is one of Franky's favorite spots in the apartment. He always gravitates toward the softest spot in the room, which in this room is the bath-mat. He follows me wherever I go, even when I have to go.

Franky Holds Down The Fort

This is Franky's favorite spot in The Gallery. Peggy Guggenheim had a team of Shi-Tzu's in her gallery. When the first three died, she got another three. Shi-Tzu's originated in Tibet and were used to guard temples. They can also be called Tibetan Lion Dogs. Peggy Guggenheim married Max Ernst, the surrealist painter, whom was a Buddhist and spent a lot of time in Tibet.

Franky's First Bath in His New Home

Franky was good I remember. He stayed still. He doesn't really like being bathed, but he loves being clean, so he tolerates it. In general, Franky is a dirty dog. But it is only because he follows me around all day, and I am a dirt-ball.

Being dirty keeps one from getting sick. I have grease and dirt on my hands all the time and I am always putting my hands in my mouth, and my hands on my food, and I never get sick. I hold plyers and tools and screws in my mouth when I am building stuff. Franky is the same way, he eats dirt all day long, and he never gets sick either.

Thee First Photo of Franky

I got Franky and an iPhone in the same week. They were both free. At the time I remember thinking that things like that usually come in 3's. The third thing was a free anvil/vice from a friend that was moving to Nam. You can thank my new phone for all these photos. If I didn't have one this is how many photos I would have of Franky: 0. But instead this is how many I have (in less than a year): >400.