Tattoo You

I’d never seen a dog tattoo--that is, a tattoo of a companion animal on a person--until last winter. That Pug was the inspiration for my “Indelible Dogs” story in the April 2008 issue of BARk (on newsstands now). But once you know to look for them, canine tatts start turning up everywhere. Most recently for me on the bicep of a woman named Christa DeLano (above; click on the image for a better view). She sports a lovely portrait of Ramone, a black standard Poodle she trained, along with other shelter and rescue dogs, while an inmate in the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor. Christa was released about three years ago just as Ramone was ready to be paroled to a forever home. Now, they live happily ever after together in northern Washington, where Christa works in a veterinarian’s office. (You can read more about the Prison Pet Partnership Program and Christa DeLano in the May issue of BARk.) In the meantime, I’ll keep sharing images of dog tattoos on the blog and hope you’ll let us know about yours.

Lisa Wogan