Growing up in New Jersey, Patrick McDonnell never had a puppy of his own. But he did have Snoopy.
The beloved beagle, companion to Charlie Brown in the comic strip “Peanuts,” was young Patrick’s fantasy dog. Snoopy inspired McDonnell to become the cartoonist who created “Mutts,” which features a cast of endearing animal and human characters that grace the pages of more than 550 newspapers (including the Tribune) .
Last weekend, in a tribute to Snoopy and the comic dogs who came before and after him, McDonnell was in Santa Rosa, Calif., to help open a new exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum.
“Top Dogs: Comic Canines Before and After Snoopy” celebrates the history of canines in comic strips, from the first pup that appeared in “Hogan’s Alley” with the Yellow Kid in 1896 to “Mutts” pooch Earl, who is modeled after McDonnell’s Jack Russell terrier.
Yes, McDonnell eventually did get himself a real dog.
“He’s sitting right here at my feet, looking at me,” the cartoonist said in a telephone interview from his home in Edison, N.J.
Earl at 16
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“Earl turned 16 last month, and he’s just started to slow down a little,” said McDonnell.
Not so the artist’s “Mutts” strip, which in its 11th year is enjoying international popularity. Featuring Earl, his kitty pal Mooch and their loving human guardians Ozzie, Millie and Frank, it has earned wide praise from critics and honors from the industry.
“To me, `Mutts’ is different from everything else on the comics page,” said Rose Marie McDaniel, a Schulz museum board member who is curating the “Top Dogs” show with McDonnell. “It’s sweet. It’s subtle. I love the drawing and I love the writing. Usually, comic strips are reflective of the person who creates them, and that most definitely is true of `Mutts.”‘
A dedicated animal activist who sits on the board of the Humane Society of the United States, McDonnell said he hopes the strip’s gentle philosophical messages encourage people to treat all living things with respect and compassion.
“We share this planet with so many great creatures, dogs being one of the very best,” he said.
Snoopy, who evolved from a canine who merely barked to a smooth-talking World War I flying ace, is arguably the most popular comic dog of all time. “Peanuts” debuted in 1950 and was running in 2,600 newspapers when creator Schulz died in 2000. Snoopy lives on in “Peanuts” reruns in the Tribune and in papers across the country.
It was the Schulz museum’s administrators who dreamed up the “Top Dogs” exhibit, and they thought McDonnell would be a perfect curator.
“I was honored that they asked me,” he said. “After all, dogs and `Peanuts’ are two of the great loves of my life.”
McDonnell and McDaniel helped track down collectors of cartoons with canine characters and landed dozens of original drawings.
They include classics of Buster Brown and his pooch, Tige, dating back to the early 1900s; of Little Orphan Annie and her dog, Sandy, a strip first published in 1924; and of Daisy, the pup from “Blondie,” which has been syndicated since 1930.
Joining those and other vintage canines will be dogs from current strips, including “The Far Side,” “Dilbert,” “Rhymes With Orange,” “Marmaduke,” and, of course, “Mutts” and “Peanuts.”
The exhibit runs through Sept. 26 and will feature more than 60 pieces of art, mostly original drawings, and some of the proceeds from the show will benefit the Humane Society of the United States. Over the weekend, visitors were treated to presentations by cartoonist McDonnell and Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle.
In the early days of comics, dogs typically were secondary characters, without thoughts or ideas, McDonnell noted.
“Snoopy was the first one who really became a major character. We got to see the secret world of dogs through his eyes.”
“Mutts” followed in Snoopy’s footsteps. McDonnell’s animal characters walk on all fours but have distinct personalities and communicate complex feelings, including joy, sadness and anger. Not all of them live in loving homes. Characters include a neglected dog chained in his back yard and unwanted pets who live behind bars in animal shelters.
“Earl and Mooch have happy homes, but it’s really tough for a lot of other animals on the planet,” said McDonnell. “So I started thinking that it should become part of the strip.”
Seeking shelter
Several times a year, McDonnell pens a series he calls “Shelter Stories,” featuring stray and abandoned creatures longing for homes.
“Yes, it was a touch of a risk, because people do want to be entertained in the comics, and I want to do that,” he said. “But I see the comics as an art form, capable of dealing with a lot of issues and emotions. Nothing makes me happier than when people tell me they were inspired to adopt an animal because they were touched by the `Shelter Stories.”‘
Generating new and creative story ideas, McDonnell said, remains the toughest part of his work, and occasionally he finds himself at a loss.
“But the dog and the cat are always around, so they are helpful,” he said. “If I can capture their spirit, I’ve done my job.”
Unlike his namesake in “Mutts,” the real Earl has a rather volatile relationship with the cat who shares his home. Meemow is a formerly feral tabby with an attitude, said McDonnell.
“My wife, Karen, and I had Earl for nine years before introducing him to the cat,” he said. “Meemow was not nuts about dogs or humans, and Earl was totally excited about having a cat in the house. So it took a couple of months for them to adjust.
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“But everything is fine now,” McDonnell said. “Sometimes, we actually catch them sleeping on the same couch together.”