Dogs have always held a special place in my life. One of our first family pets was Coco, a scruffy mutt with a white muzzle and wiry hair. I loved him for his calm demeanor and soulful eyes. Then there was my grandfather’s dog, Poopie, an energetic, mischievous mixed breed who added plenty of excitement.
When my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I moved into our first apartment, we adopted Roxy, a lively Catahoula, Louisiana’s state dog. She was an energetic puppy, and one night, while we were asleep on our waterbed, I awoke to hear a familiar gagging sound. I opened my eyes just in time for Roxy to throw up—directly into my eye! I bolted to the bathroom to wash it out, while Andree, with her deep love for dogs, couldn’t stop laughing. Despite the rough start, we adored Roxy, and now we hope to foster or adopt another dog when we move back to New Orleans soon.
My sister Lulu was a lifelong dog lover who rescued greyhounds from the racetrack and doted on every one of her adopted pets. Tragically, she passed away in a car accident in Colorado with her partner Missy and one of their dogs, Daisy. Just before that, she had laid her beloved greyhound Patrick to rest in the same river where she later died.
During my mother’s grief, I made it my mission to bring my sister’s last greyhound, Sugar, home to her in New Orleans from Marble, Colorado. Sugar brought my mom so much comfort, as did her pit bull Nikki, whom she loved deeply and lost only a few years ago. Over her life, my mom has mostly had mutts, though two loyal German shepherds have also brought her immense joy and comfort, even in the hardest times.
My sister’s passion for animals—and her commitment to rescuing them—inspired my song “Partly Cloudy Dog”. She was always adamant that buying an expensive pedigree dog was unconscionable with so many abandoned and mistreated dogs in need of homes.
Living in a small New York City apartment makes it challenging to have a dog of my own, but I’m lucky to get frequent visits from my friend James’ dog, Levon. Levon sometimes spent times with me and James — who’s also my neighbor and producer, in the studio when we’re working on He/Hymn, and I love having him around.
Throughout my life, dogs have been a constant source of love and connection, weaving their way into my family’s story and leaving an enduring impact on us all.
I was fortunate to be joined on this track by Rohin Khemani (drums, percusssion), James Pertusi (bass, vocals), Ron Raymon (pedal steel), Jimmy Robinson (guitar) from Woodenhead (NOLA)
Thanks to Rainbow Rodeo for writing it up!
