Capturing the Blue Dog...sort of

 


Artist Don Zimmer's blue dog



The legend of the Blue Dog has captivated me for years. The story is one I learned shortly after moving into Charles County and connecting with local artist Joan Sutton Wooddy and her husband Dr. Arthur O. Wooddy. They had published a children's book filled with her drawings of the blue tick hound who haunted Port Tobacco's Rose Hill, mourning the loss of his master who was murdered at the hand of robbers seeking his gold one cold February night.



Courtesy of College of Southern Maryland Library





The story caught my imagination and several years later I had the opportunity to interview Connie Stuart, the owner of Rose Hill, as part of a feature article I wrote for the Times-Crescent newspaper. She weaved the story for me as well, taking me and the paper's photographer, Augie Selckmann, to the location where the legendary murder was to have occurred. That was 20 years ago.



What strikes me today is that legends live on, generation to generation, only because someone takes the time to hand it along. That's the case with the Blue Dog, whose legend now thrives today at The Blue Dog Saloon, courtesy of Artist Don Zimmer and Chef Gary Fick. Longtime friends, Gary approached Don when patrons kept asking Gary after he took over the restuarant if he was going to change its name. Not a chance, he shares here.

Gary found a willing partner in Don to tell the story. Having been away from painting for more than a decade, Don found inspiration quickly and the story came to life. Soon the project took on epic proportions and the four-foot-by-six-foot canvas laid claim to his living room, graciously turned over to the project by his wife, Sheri. A storyteller on numerous fronts (he just authored and released "Leadership and Listening: Spiritual Foundations for Church Governance"), Don was able to visually cast an image that captures the heart and soul of this more than 200-year-old legend.

Together, Don and Gary hung the painting in The Blue Dog Saloon's dining room the evening of July 26. Wthin minutes after settling it on the brick wall, patrons were drawn to it, captured by the story unfolded in the snowy February scene as moonlight floods across the dog, a tear glistening in the corner of his eye.

Don describes the contemporary scene he created, "Several accounts say that what we now refer to as the 'blue dog' was in fact an English Mastiff or simply a Mastiff. The Mastiff is one of the heaviest dog breeds with males sometimes exceeding 200 pounds. Like other Mastiffs, he is a gentle giant, self confident, watchful and patient. Intelligent and dignified, Mastiffs rarely bark, preferring instead to simply place themselves between any threat to their family and their family¹s things. The dog in the painting continues to guard his master¹s possessions and mourn for him. I have chosen to paint a contemporary winter night scene with a full moon and snow cover to accentuate the light and to use the trees introduce an element of eeriness. The stories talk of a dark Mastiff. The mark on the forehead is a wound from the assailants. Several accounts associate the alleged treasure's location with a holly tree; others talk about a rock. The dog is lying with a leather bag and folio next to large snow covered rock, which bears what people have said, is a paw print (now covered with snow). The dog is surrounded by holly.... The ravine that extends back into the distance on the left of the painting leads down to the existing Rose Hill Road. Route 6 is in the far background, La Plata is out of view on the left, Port Tobacco out of view on the right."

What story do you have to share? We all have one. For you, perhaps it's a story that reflects the values of your organization to help a newcomer appreciate the culture. Perhaps it's a story of courage that can help sharpen the leadership skills of a young manager. Or perhaps it's a story of your ancestors that will help your children understand their heritage. Whatever your story, you are its keeper, and its longevity into future generations rests on your storytelling. Don't let the story stop with you.