Game of Thrones and A Dog Named Jasper

********* Update *********

"The Mother of Dragons" the third (and possibly final) print in my Game of Thrones series has been released and is now available at Gallery 1988! I'm proud to present "The Mother of Dragons - Fire and Blood":

Prints are available to purchase by clicking HERE!

All of the money I earn from these Game of Thrones prints is going towards paying off our dogs emergency vet bills from last year. If you have bought a print, or plan on buying a print, I can't thank you enough. This past year has been very rough on Jasper's health and very rough on our finances. Please, if you have a pet that you love (or even that you just kinda like) do yourself, and your furry friend a favor, and sign up for pet insurance. We use http://www.embracepetinsurance.com and they have been awesome!

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my best friend, Jasper. 

Let me start by saying this isn't a typical blog entry but our dog Jasper is anything but typical. Several months ago, my wife Kristin and I found our dog was very, very sick. Jasper is the best dog the world has ever known. Kristin rescued him from a shelter in Long Beach about 6 months before we met. He was her best friend. He protected her, and loved her before I came along, and has since become my best friend as well. We love Jasper like we would love our own child (if we had one... and even then, we'd still possibly love Jasper a little more, no offense future kid reading this...)

This past March we had a house-guest staying with us. Jasper was not a fan, and so to show his "enthusiasm" he decided to chew a giant hole in the air mattress said house-guest was sleeping on. He proceeded to vomit up pieces of air-mattress material and while we were displeased with his behavior, we thought that he'd thrown up all the pieces, and there was nothing to worry about. Well... that was not the case.

In early July (just over 3 months later) Jasper became VERY ill. After a trip to the Dog Emergency Room, x-rays showed that Jasper had something lodged in his intestines. We had 2 options... Let Jasper die or have the wonderful Doctors at our local VCA perform surgery to remove the obstruction. There really was no option. Sparing no expense, we let the Doctor do his work. The recovery was horrible, the surgery was painful and the effects on our bank accounts were vast. I am a freelance artist, I work from home, I don't have an employer, so I don't get a regular paycheck. The cost of this was devastating, but we had no other option.

I had recently purchased some artwork from Gallery 1988 shortly before Jasper got sick. When I contacted them to ask if I could return the artwork for a refund, I explained our financial situation and that's when God sent us angels in the form of Jensen Karp and Katie Sutton. They not only let me return the artwork for a refund, they immediately offered to help in a way that only they could...

San Diego Comic Con was only weeks away, but they asked if I would create a Game of Thrones print to be released at their booth in San Diego. Proceeds from that sale would help Kristin and I pay off our (very expensive) Vet bills. I was blown away by there generosity, and so that is what you see here. The first print was received very well by Comic Con attendees and I even got word that George R.R. Martin loved the work!!!

Prints are available to purchase by clicking HERE

"The Starks" is part 1 of an ongoing series of Game of Thrones inspired prints, that I hope to release throughout the year.

Prints are available to purchase by clicking HERE

I recently finished "The Lannisters" and i'm happy to announce that it is now available at Gallery 1988!!!

My proceeds from the sale of these prints will be going to pay our vet bills, and I can't thank you enough if you have already purchased, or decide to purchase one of these prints. Your support means the world of difference, and I sincerely thank you so so much. 

The good news is that Jasper survived the whole ordeal. The Doctor said that he was very very ill, and if we hadn't brought him in when we did, he wouldn't have made it. Jasper had a rough recovery, but he's doing very well and is mostly back to his old happy self. 

If you have a beloved animal, please, please, PLEASE get yourself some Pet Insurance. It could make a different between life and death for your furry little family member. We unfortunately learned our lesson the hard way, but now he's insured, and on his way back to health. 

Thank you to the Gallery 1988 group: Jensen, Katie, John, and Amber for being so wonderful to us during a very difficult time. I am super grateful for these lovely folks.

You can also see some of my other artwork available for sale over in my ETSY store. Use the coupon code "JASPER" at checkout for an additional 10% off of your order, and those sales will go towards his vet bills!

http://www.joebot.etsy.com