Mickey Harmon & Penelope

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Mickey Harmon and I am an illustrator and graphic designer. This is Penelope and she is just one year old and a miniature pinscher.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Everyday we walk over to Cafe Taza on Elmwood Avenue next door to Sweet Tooth and they all love Penelope so much and all the neighborhood dogs get to say hello to her.

What's brewing?

If not Cafe Taza's coffee we have Wegmans Organic Arabica at home.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

Just cereal in the morning; I'm a purest. OK, OK, maybe the occasional scone.

Any treat for Penelope on this occasion?

Penelope gets enough treats from the crumbs from people at Taza!

How were you and Penelope united?

Penelope was brought into our arms when a friend of ours was getting a Chihuahua from a breeder in North Townawanda. The breeder had a friend who had miniature pinscher pups and she was the calmest one in the bunch, just looking up at us and the rest is history.

How did she get her name?

Well... If I were to explain the entire 6 year run of the TV show LOST to you, this would be a different blog. Penelope is named after Penelope Widmore Hume, a character and if I may say so the prettiest one on the show. Kind of obsessed. Penelope is also the lead woman in Homer's Odyssey in which the character in LOST is named after!

What's Penelope's role in your art?

Penelope has one contribution = lap warmer.

What's an ordinary day like for Penelope?

Well, she gets up at 7, has a light breakfast, goes back to sleep, wakes up, demands my attention, we walk to Taza, come home, begs me for my lunch, naps again, sits on my lap til Ben gets home, eats dinner and then watches movies snuggled in between the two of us all night long.

Who is Penelope's best pet-pal?

She has a few, including Patrick the Shih-tzu downstairs from us and Daisy the Yorkie, Ben's boss's dog.

What's Penelope's best quality?

Penelope's best quality is her sensitivity. She almost looks as though she cares about your well being. If I am down and out, she somehow knows it and snuggles up on my neck to almost hug me.

What's Penelope's proudest moment so far? Her most embarrassing?

Proudest = beat up two chihuahuas. Most embarrassing = fell in the in-laws' pool and didn't know how to swim.

If Penelope could change one thing about you or Ben, what would it be?

We won the lottery and would never leave her alone at home again.

Visit Michael Harmon's website.

--Marshal Zeringue