The American Dog sculpture has been my most recognized and iconic sculpture to date. As a result, I started the Big Dog Show and that attracted the attention of North Shore Animal League America (NSALA) in NY. They are the country’s largest no-kill animal shelter. Every year they host a celebrity gala fundraiser called the Dogcatemy Awards. They invited us to bring the Big Dog Show to their event and the dogs would serve as their background and focus for the evening.

When I went to visit Cipriani’s on Wall Street where the event was being held, I realized there was no way I would be able to use the existing 8 foot high dogs due to height constraints on the doors. Undaunted, I said we would create a 6 foot version especially for the event. They requested the addition of cats on a few of the sculptures, and thus, the Dog & Cat sculpture was born.

The original twenty sculptures from the November 5, 2009 event had the NSALA logo and name on them and were numbered. The NSALA used the silhouette of the dog and cat for their awards that were given to the celebrity winners at their event as well as at future events.