The Cave of The Yellow Dog

Travel to Extraordinary Worlds

SFMOMA: Interactive Features: Travel to Extraordinary Worlds

In the interactive feature The Country Dog Gentlemen Travel to Extraordinary Worlds, canine characters from Roy De Forest’s playful painting Country Dog Gentlemen take you on adventures to learn about famous artworks in SFMOMA‘s collection. The full program is always available at the museum, and now selected stories and projects are available to art lovers anywhere, anytime. Make your own masterpieces with activities inspired by Jackson Pollock, Frida Kahlo, and other artists.

Limberjack Dog

The Cat that walked by Himself

by Rudyard Kipling

PUSSY can sit by the fire and sing,
Pussy can climb a tree,
Or play with a silly old cork and string
To’muse herself, not me.
But I like Binkie my dog, because
He knows how to behave;
So, Binkie’s the same as the First Friend was,
And I am the Man in the Cave.

Pussy will play man-Friday till
It’s time to wet her paw
And make her walk on the window-sill
(For the footprint Crusoe saw);
Then she fluffles her tail and mews,
And scratches and won’t attend.
But Binkie will play whatever I choose,
And he is my true First Friend.

Pussy will rub my knees with her head
Pretending she loves me hard;
But the very minute I go to my bed
Pussy runs out in the yard,
And there she stays till the morning-light;
So I know it is only pretend;
But Binkie, he snores at my feet all night,
And he is my Firstest Friend!

From JUST SO STORIES: The Cat that Walked by Himself
THEATER ITINERARIES: Just So Stories

Legends of the Night Sky: Orion

Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales: Orion

SKY ITINERARIES

Six little dogs

Audio: NIEHS

Six little dogs that I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones too.
But the one little dog with the brown curly fur,
He led the others with a grr, grr, grr.
Grr, grr, grr
Grr, grr, grr
He led the others with a grr, grr, GRR!

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window

Audio: midi

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the wagglely tail.
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale.

I must take a trip to California,
And leave my poor sweetheart alone.
If he has a dog, he won’t be lonesome,
And the doggie will have a good home.

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the wagglely tail.
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale.

I don’t want a rabbit or a kitten,
I don’t want a parrot that talks.
I don’t want a bowl of little fishies,
‘Cause you can’t take a fish for a walk.

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the wagglely tail.
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale.

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the wagglely tail.
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale.

MISS JANE HAD A BAG

THE ROLE OF CATS IN NURSERY RHYMES
by Sarah Hartwell

Miss Jane had a bag, and a mouse was in it,
She opened the bag, he was out in a minute;
The Cat saw him jump, and run under the table,
And the dog said, catch him, puss, soon as you’re able.

I can personally relate to this one! When bringing in a sack of coal one evening, I was unaware that a mouse was inside the sack. This was in the days before I had cats of my own. The mouse was contained in one room and a neighbour’s cat was borrowed (with permission) – the idea being to shut the cat in for an hour or so. Sapphire dispatched the mouse within seconds of entering the room.

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

The Real Mother Goose

Old Mother Hubbard;
Went to the cupboard,
To give her poor dog a bone;
But when she got there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker’s
To buy him some bread;
When she came back
The dog was dead.

She went to the undertaker’s
To buy him a coffin;
When she got back
The dog was laughing.

She took a clean dish
To get him some tripe;
When she came back
He was smoking a pipe.

She went to the alehouse
To get him some beer;
When she came back
The dog sat in a chair.

She went to the tavern
For white wine and red;
When she came back
The dog stood on his head.

She went to the hatter’s
To buy him a hat;
When she came back
He was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber’s
To buy him a wig;
When she came back
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the fruiterer’s
To buy him some fruit;
When she came back
He was playing the flute.

She went to the tailor’s
To buy him a coat;
When she came back
He was riding a goat.

She went to the cobbler’s
To buy him some shoes;
When she came back
He was reading the news.

She went to the sempster’s
To buy him some linen;
When she came back
The dog was a-spinning.

She went to the hosier’s
To buy him some hose;
When she came back
He was dressed in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsy,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, “Your servant,”
The dog said, “Bow-wow.”

Old Mistress McShuttle

The True Mother Goose – Songs for the Nursery, Or, Mother Goose’s Melodies for Children. Notes and Pictures by Blanche McManus. Published by Lamson, Wolffe and Co., Boston. 1895.