For all that has been,
Thank you.
For all that is to come,
Yesh!
— Dag Hammarskjold (as read by Mooch)

Hello friends,

Happy 2019! Hopefully you had a wonderful holiday season and were able to spend it in the company of people and animals who make your heart happy. As we enter a new year, there are many fond memories to be grateful for and plenty of new adventures ahead.

Last month, we celebrated the second annual Gift of Nothing Day and heard from people around the world who shared the message of The Gift of Nothing. You can read some of their stories here. In December I was presented with an award from Animal Care Centers of New York City at their annual Boroughbred Ball. ACC of NYC is a model large-city municipal shelter that does innovative work to help homeless and surrendered animals. They are true heroes.

In October, we teamed up with The Dodo to create a series of social media-based MUTTS Shelter Stories to promote real-life adoptions. The animals featured in the illustrations came from shelters across the country — including ACC of NYC, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, and Secondhand Hounds.

Last year my children’s book A Perfectly Messed-Up Story won the Buckaroo Book Award. Yippie ki-yay! This award, presented annually by the Wyoming Library Association and the Wyoming State Reading Council, is a unique privilege because its nominees and winners are chosen by students in kindergarten through third grade. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

Next month, Team MUTTS will once again join Petco Foundation for their annual “Love Changes Everything” campaign, which will include multiple nationwide adoption weekends and other fun events. The team is also preparing to roll out Social for Shelters, a project which provides free social media assets to help animal organizations boost their digital reach. We’ll share more details about both of these projects in the coming weeks.

As you may remember, “Me…Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall” (the musical adaptation of my children’s book about Jane Goodall’s childhood) premiered at The Kennedy Center in late 2017. It was a true joy seeing this story come to life on stage, and I’m pleased to announce that the production will be on tour in several different cities this year. A full list of locations and tour dates is available on our blog.

Finally, an announcement 25 years in the making (175 according to Earl): a new book celebrating the silver anniversary of MUTTS will be published in the fall by Abrams. It will be a beautiful coffee table art book, and right now it’s keeping me quite busy. I’ve been doing a deep dive into my career and am choosing what I think best represents MUTTS. I can’t wait to see it completed and to be able to share it with all of you.

Happy New Year!

Patrick

Comments (36)

Patrick, thanks for all you do! We named the rescue cat we adopted Mooch (from NKLA here in Los Angeles) and he is a daily reminder in our home of the magnificence of animals, and our obligation to help them — even the ones who don’t live with us.

Holly Sklar

As always deep gratitude for ALL that you do for our ‘non human’ loved ones, big and small, near and far….I hope some day to see how you weave a Vegan lifestyle into at least one of the humans that are in the strip occasionally.

Happy New Year, till ALL are free, Karen

Karen NBvW

You have a few years on me-but I agree-every day i look forward to Mutts-Makes me feel years younger as I smile at those cute kids! Thanks
Patrick for making the world a happier place for animals and people who love them-and YOU!

JoAnn F Gerfen

I start my day with MUTTS. It is my morning greeting to all my family. I support all things relating to our animal friends. I buy your really fun stuff. My family received their gifts in the “gift of nothing” boxes this year. I am approaching my 95th but still young at heart!
I’ll be watching for your book!

Dottie

I look forward to the book! MUTTS has been a joy for as long as you’ve been writing it. The NYT doesn’t publish cartoons — except for one on the opinion page which was aimed at the current occupant of the White House. It’s taken the place of Peanuts in my heart (although I still read it, too).

Ellen Kennedy

What uplifting work you do in this world with the talent you’ve been given. Not too many careers let both humans as well as all other creatures great and small benefit.

Kat Grausso

The Roanoke, VA Times doesn’t feature Mutts. My daughter sent me the site and now I get it everyday on my e-mail. I pass it on to friends. Thanks for all the good work you do.

Karen A Wray

I am new to Mutts as of last year but I can tell you that it has made a lifetime impression on me in that short time. Patrick, your dedication to animal welfare is noteworthy. Thank you for that. Your beloved critters in Mutts resonate to my very core of being. Earl and Mooch reside in my heart now forever. I live next door to a Guard Dog and it breaks my heart every day. Thank you for doing what you do each and every day and I look forward to adding your new book to my collection.

Kimberley O'Hara

I love mutts – especially Mooch. Thanks for always lifting my spirits. sc

Sally Cornell

Mutts makes my day. You get it right every single time. I get your daily email, plus you are in my local newspaper in CT. Thank you for all the work you do for the animals…….

Diane Sargent