Captain Jack portrait finished!

Captain Jack, best friend of Sindy B. for 16 years.

When Sindy first contacted me about a portrait, she told me Captain Jack had been constantly by her side through her cancer diagnosis and treatment. She sent me a photo of herself with a bald head from chemo, holding Captain Jack, with their two faces pressed together.

Sindy's story about how Captain Jack came into her life is below.

"All her life, my daughter, Austin, wanted to be a vet - this ties in later in multiple ways.

When Austin was a Sophomore in high school, she needed a new pair of white flip-flops from Old Navy, so I went to the mall. I paused at the pet store, I'm not really sure why. I saw this tiny black and white ball of fluff. Well it was love at first sight, I'd like to think for both of us - then I found out how much he cost. I left the store thinking well "I'll think about it" and went to Old Navy to get the flip-flops. A lady came into Old Navy, she had been playing with one of the other puppies. She told me that the store had just dropped the price $200 for the puppy I had been playing with and they were calling people to notify them. Needless to say, I grabbed the flip-flops and rushed back. To me, it was a sign, Captain Jack was coming home with me. When I got home, Austin told me she promised him she would find him a home and she did. Captain's first puppy visit led to Austin's first job for a vet. 

Austin had four dogs when we added Captain Jack to the pack. He was much smaller than the rest. Over time, he would gather "all" the dog's toys and horde them under pieces of furniture where the others could not get them. Later in life, he would steal the other chews or bones. If he was chewing on a bone and you moved him, he was always laying on a backup. I found an unsprung mouse trap (I didn't have mouse traps) and a random spoon under my bed. I have never figured out where they came from although I did see him sneak into a neighbor's house once. 

From Austin:

1

My favorite game to play with Captain was hide and go seek! We had so much fun with me telling him to sit and stay while I hid around the house and then would call him and he would come find me. I started out hiding in easier spots and over time would hide in harder to find spots such as behind clothes hanging in a closet, on top of the bed or on another floor in the house and sometimes I would even cover my mouth to muffle my call to make it seem I was hidden farther away. He was always so happy when he would "find" me. We had so much fun playing together.

2

Austin's first paycheck.

We got Captain when I was in high school. Not too long after, I started my first job. I would bathe dogs at the local groomers that would groom Captain and our Scottish Terrier. My first paycheck was $40 paid to me in cash......Captain ate my $40! I was devastated. He never really got into things or chewed them up. I do not know what possessed him to eat the two 20 bills left out in my bedroom! Thankfully, he passed the full bills the next day - EWWW!"

Note from Sindy: Austin posted an index card outside her bedroom door about 7 inches off the floor that said "Must be taller than this to enter". He was banned from her room for a long time. 

"Captain Jack", commissioned by Sindy Boyles.

🎨 Prismacolor pencil on “Flannel Grey” Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 10 x 12 inches.