In something of a thematic reversal from my previous post, here's something I completed a few days ago: the dog Sirius from Diana Wynne Jones' Dogsbody. I discovered this book in my school library in 7th grade, having no idea who Jones was, and devoured it. Little did I know that years later, I'd realize she was one of my favorite authors.

The book concerns a star-being, Sirius, who is framed for murder and sentenced to life on Earth as, appropriately, a dog. Given a dog's short lifespan, this more or less dooms him unless he can find a mysterious object that will prove his innocence. What gives this story the life it has and makes this premise not all that silly is that Sirius must do this with the mental capacity of a dog and also that he is rescued by an Irish girl who is living with her racist English family while her father is in prison for IRA-related activities. It's charming and one of my favorite dog stories. The model here is my Mr. Darcy, who is also part-lab but probably not a reborn heavenly body. Sorry, buddy.



I'm thinking of sending it to Jones, once I decide to take that black line out. It's actually surrounding all of him, and his ears, to give a sort of stained-glass effect but as you can only see it on the leg, it looks rather out of place.