FOO WAS HERE

Here's a portrait of our beautiful dog "Foo":

This was a Christmas present to my wife. This is Foo with all his favourite things — food, Kong, lead for walkies, his squeaky rubber chicken and chicken leg, 'Wilson' (the ball he stole from children at the park), and his blanket, otherwise known as the 'Boochu Shroud'. Not forgetting his awesome tag, made by our good friend. Lastly, his flea shampoo is tucked away in the background — that's his least favourite thing!

Foo is a 50kg Irish Wolfhound x Bull Arab. He's certainly got a different life to his pig-hunting relatives in the country. We spoil him rotten!

The name 'Foo' might be familiar to cartoon buffs. It originated in the cartoon strip 'Smokey Stover'. Cartoonist Bill Holman frequently used this word throughout his strips, but never revealed it's significance or true meaning to it's readers. Thus, because it was unexplained, it was often used to label something that couldn't be identified — eg. the 'Foo Fighters' of WWII. Smokey Stover was a popular strip with other cartoonists and animation directors, so the word 'Foo' was often referenced in Warner cartoons. It was also brought to my attention that in Australia during WWII, and for some time after, "FOO WAS HERE" was common bit of chalk graffiti:

It's origin here is unclear. So, all round, the word 'Foo' denotes mystery. And it felt like a good name for a dog.

Here's Foo in action during last years dust storm...