Dogs and Cats

Although I have never had a pet of my own, I’ve always liked cats, they have always been in my life somehow, and yes I might own a home someday with a bunch of cats. I’ll be the Crazy Cat Man that lives on the hill! I must confess that over the years my fondness for four-legged friends has not been limited to only cats. My appreciation for dogs has grown over the years (don’t tell my girlfriend’s cat, Jazzy!). Mainly because I have been around more folks who are dog owners, I encounter many more dogs during walks, I see them in the hallway, and I unconditionally love animals in general. Yet, sometimes being a pet owner is not possible. However, the gift of a pet could be in the form of a coin – like that irresistible puppy that is opening a gift at the top of the page or the puppy below holding its bowl.

Coins with dog themes have always been popular with collectors. Pleasing printing technology combined with life-like artistic renditions have led to the The Puppies series which was struck at The Perth Mint in Australia. The country of Tuvalu issued a set in 2018 including the beagle, golden retriever, poodle, English bulldog, and the border collie that is pictured above with our TrueView images. Few can resist the endearing power of the puppy. These coins could make a pleasantly surprising gift for almost any dog lover.

An alternative collectible to a coin depicting a dog could be in the form of a medal. I saw the exact same boxer dog medal pictured below in a dealer's case at the 2023 American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money that was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It stopped me in my tracks – yes, the eye-appeal was absolutely magnificent in person and the marvelous toning was icing on the cake. The engraving was so lifelike to view that I wanted to go back to get another look. Unfortunately, I forgot where I saw the medal and never made it back. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t make it back. I would have probably wrecked my monthly budget and impulsively bought it right on the spot. Certainly I won’t share these feelings about dogs with Jazzy as he might unleash a left hook to my calf muscle.

I recall a scene from the 2009 James Cameron film Avatar, where the two main characters Jake Sully and Neytiri, trek to a mountain which is the lair of Banshee or Ikran on the planet of Pandora. Neytri, who is of the indigenous Na’vi people, mentions that Tsaheylu is a neural connection or bond that allows beings to share information with each other which is lifelong. Sully must make this connection with the Ikran. Jake Sully approaches a large bird like creature like the one shown above on the Swiss medal whose name is Basilisk, a tussle ensues for a short time, he almost falls off the mountain, and after sometime Sully is able to make a bond with the Banshee. They fly off together with somewhat of a rocky start but the flight gets better as their connection becomes deeper. Dog and cat owners probably have a similar lifelong bond with their furry friends – minus all the flying around. Unless Fido and Whiskers travel, which some do!