MUTTS made its first appearance in 1994 and Patrick McDonnell’s comic strip has been a global
phenomenon ever since, touching on themes of animal protection, love and kindness, art and the
sanctity of life. McDonnell has used his lovable characters to raise awareness for ideals he believes in.
“Like most cartoonists, I was basically self-taught. I was never too concerned with learning how to
draw ‘correctly’… I wanted to know how to give life to little pen-and-ink characters. Early on I found I
could express feelings and thoughts in these little abstractions. I don’t know where it comes from. That’s
the magic of cartooning for me,” said McDonnell in his book
