Pet keeping became a real fad in the 19th century and of course we never let up. Dogs are the star of the show.

When someone is doing scientific illustrations, that person is an artist.

People sell the art I'm interested in because they need money and they don't want the rest of the world to know they need money. That's often true for pictures sold at auction.

Wherever the family was, these two dogs, both six-year-old shepherd mixes, took up their posts at the central coming-and-going point. Gil called them concierge dogs. And it's true, they were inquisitive and accommodating. But they were not fawning or overly playful. They were watchful and thoughtful. Irene thought they had gravitas. Weighty demeanors. She thought of them as diplomats. She had noticed that when Gil was about to lose his temper one of the dogs always appeared and did something to divert his attention. Sometimes they acted like fools, but it was brilliant acting. Once, when he was furious about a bill for the late fees for a lost video, one of the dogs had walked right up to Gil and lifted his leg over his shoe. Gil was shouting at Florian when the piss splattered down, and she'd felt a sudden jolt of pride in the dog.

It's a major undertaking that will come in the future. It's just a matter of how and when.

We've a good comprehensive plan in place.