This post deals not with living and breathing dogs and cats, but with artistic depictions of dogs and cats.

Two things come to mind for me when I read “dogs and cats” or “cats and dogs.”  First, Berkeley Dog and Cat on Haste.  Great vets.  Caring, smart, smart, diligent.

Second, the expression “raining cats and dogs.”  Meaning to rain heavily, dated to 1661 by the OED.  It is a phrase that has lent itself to many book titles, and many illustrations, including these cream of the raining crop:

The dog and cat images around Berkeley often verge on kitsch.  So what?  I find them quirky.  And it is a great exercise for children.  Look for cats and dogs as you walk.  I bet there are more than I have found.

On Alcatraz we saw tree stumps carved into a cat and dog in 2016 – great stump carving art.

Now – solo dogs:

I have a whole posting on the doxies of 3026 Harper Street, but here are a few:

And I have a posting on Ron’s Berkeley Muffler Shop, including this muffler-based dog:

Now more dogs –

My favorite dogs doesn’t fit my qualification rules on account of it is ephemeral.  Ephemeral or not, it is wonderful, and it gives me a better excuse than I used to have to fool around with dogs playing poker.

And cats:

When I showed these photos to my friend, he got to talking about Gabby’s trading cards and postcards of dressed dogs and dressed cats.  Yes, the collections are fun.  But they aren’t the point of the posting.  What did he think of the central issue here, the dogs and cats as portrayed in Berkeley material culture?