Matilda and the World 2019 Calendar

Matilda was a stray who I found living under my house--under my house!--in rural Texas. No microchip. No info at the shelters. No family looking for her, though I posted countless flyers and searched everywhere. I didn't feed her or let her into my house. I didn't even give her water! I felt like I couldn't have a dog with all my travel, and so I tried in earnest to make sure she and I wouldn't get attached while I was busy looking for her home. That's hilarious in retrospect. She never left my porch for days, and I was in love with her from the moment we met. She had adopted me. Once I realised that, I let her into my home and my heart forever. So lucky. She is smart and sweet, and always ready with a smile. I started photographing her on our adventures around Texas, and eventually, we made our way overseas together. We travelled as far as Africa, where Matilda ran among zebra and wildebeest (and lots of donkeys!) in Botswana, swam and played along the beach in Namibia, and ventured on a road trip through the countryside of South Africa. She has peered over the edge of the Grand Canyon, chased jack rabbits in Arizona, and drunk deeply of the sweet, salty breezes on the California coast. But most of all, Matilda loves the grasslands of the Texas Hill Country, especially in the spring when the fields are adorned with bluebonnets and all the wildflowers of the rainbow. In 2016, we started a series on the Facebook page, Dogspotting Society, called "Matilda and Flowers," honouring her love affair with the smells and soft warmth of the sunlight in spring. For months, we promised Matilda's Dogspotting fans a calendar. At long last, here it is. Any proceeds from the sale of this calendar will be donated to our favourite shelter in Texas, Austin Pets Alive! We wish you days full of flowers, with love for all the dogs who are homeless but ready to find and rescue their own humans, as Matilda did with me.