The Full Story
My wife and I had a beloved Great Dane named Fred. Fred was larger than life—amazing in every way. His full name was Frederick Von Slobberhound, a fitting title since you always knew when he'd been at the water bowl.
Life with Fred was anything but ordinary. People would often exclaim, "Where's his saddle?" or "Holy cow, that's a big dog!" He made fast friends with nearly everyone he met.
Tragically, we lost Fred at just four years old after a routine tooth cleaning. He had an adverse reaction to the anesthetic, leaving us heartbroken. We wanted a meaningful way to memorialize him, but the typical "rainbow bridge" tributes didn't feel right.
I reached out to my good friend, Alan Hamwi, a highly accomplished professional artist. Thankfully, he agreed to collaborate with me to create something special—something large enough to honor Fred and mend the hole in our hearts. That something became BigPawz.
BigPawz are true sculptures, handcrafted in clay and molded for duplication, so they can be shared with anyone who's ever shared an unbreakable bond with a dog. Every single dimple is meticulously created with the back of a texture tool—every single one!
While BigPawz originated as a memorial, they're versatile enough to celebrate your living dogs too. Honor a champion, showcase your love for a specific breed, or capture whatever your heart desires. We'll work with you to create the perfect piece.
Thank you for visiting and allowing us to share our BigPawz with you!
When you really sit with it, the most astonishing thing about dogs is not their intelligence or loyalty, but their complete absence of conditions. A dog does not love you because you succeeded today. It does not measure your worth by your productivity, your reputation, or your past. You can return home broken, confused, ashamed, or empty, and the dog greets you as though nothing has been lost, because in its eyes nothing ever was.
-Alan Watts
Perhaps dogs were given to us not as companions alone, but as teachers disguised in fur. They show us what it looks like to trust life, to meet each moment with openness rather than suspicion. They forgive instantly, not because they are weak, but because they are free. And in their freedom, they invite us to remember something we once knew. That love is not something you earn. It is something you allow to flow through you. If you truly learn that lesson, you realize the dog was never beneath you. It was guiding you back to yourself.
-Alan Watts
