What MUTTS Means to You: Kindness, Adopted Friends, and More

To celebrate 25 years of MUTTS, we asked readers to tell us what the strip means to them, and to share some of their best memories of Mooch, Earl, and the rest of the crew.

We are so appreciative and touched by the messages we continue to receive, and we will post your responses throughout the coming months — so please comment below if you have additional stories or memories to share. Thank you for your love and support!

“This was the strip from my 30th birthday. It has always spoken volumes to me and that’s why I got it tattooed close to my heart a few months ago.” — Stephanie K. G.

“I fell in love with MUTTS in 2008. I was living in Panama City, by myself, anxiously waiting for my best friend and roommate to come back from Iraq. I’d picked up a used copy of Animal Friendly but didn’t get to read it immediately. I was still settling into PC, starting a new job, and working on finding a dog.

“About a week after I bought the book, I adopted my furry best friend, Tani. She’s almost 14 now. She was a nervous, skittish ball of black fur when I brought her home, and I knew I needed to do something to put her at ease. I saw Animal Friendly laying on the coffee table and got inspired. I got her food and water, then settled on a blanket on the floor with the book. I stayed chill and began to quietly read as she started exploring. I began reading the strips out loud to Tani; after about 15 minutes she came over, curled up on the blanket next to me, placed her head on my lap, and looked up at me attentively as I continued to read to her about Mooch and Earl. So … Mooch and Earl helped me and Tani get to know each other and establish real trust for a lifelong friendship.” — Justine G.

“MUTTS began appearing in the Palm Beach Post and my father knew I would love it, so he cut out each strip and would mail them to me weekly. (At the time I was already in my 40s.) He passed away in 2004, and I have kept every packet. MUTTS and my father will always be entwined in my heart.” — Lynne C.

“I don’t know when it was published but it must have been years ago as it is quite faded on my refrigerator door. It is Guard Dog speaking to a classroom and he is quoting Gandhi. I am a ‘kindness activist’ and believe that we can change the world by being kinder to one another.” — Rosemary C.

“This one has been a favorite for me for a few years. Reminds me of how things are at our house.” — Christy K. T.

*MUTTS comic strips clipped from* Helsingin Sanomat *newspaper*

“My name is Emma and I live in Helsinki, Finland. I started reading MUTTS when I was a 1st grader. Every morning before going to school I ate breakfast and read MUTTS (‘Kamut’ in Finnish) from the paper called Helsingin Sanomat. After reading, I would cut out the cartoon from the paper. I had a box where I saved them. Now I’m 31 years old and I still have some of them framed at my home, where I also have two cats adopted from our local shelter. Nekku (‘Lollipop’ in Finnish) is now seven and Mauno is five (and he looks so much like Mooch)!” — Emma

Have your own MUTTS story to tell? Let us know in the comments or email us at [email protected].

— Team MUTTS

Tagged: Books & Art

Comments (9)

Mutts is the first email I search for each morning: Makes my heart smile.
Molly

If I had to choose a favorite Mutts cartoon (actually whichever one I’m reading at the moment becomes a favorite) I would have to choose the one which hung on my refrigerator for years where Mooch wants to bring about world peace by asking everyone to do all they can to make their kitties purr, thus creating a huge purr throughout the Cosmos. I think Patrick does much the same thing every day by creating a huge smile throughout the Cosmos. There just aren’t words enough to express my appreciation for the gift of Mutts. Boundless blessings to you!
Ariel Riter

Recently in mute mode, I turned on the TV. It was the news, you could tell the politicians were angry, frowning, waving their arms, pointing fingers, very upset, I turned off the TV. I feel our entire US country is so angry over too many issues, taking it out on innocent people, instead of doing something about it. Then I read the daily Mutts: (11-3-19) "Hey Jules, what’cha doing? I’ve started an “Endangered List”, What’s on it? “Empathy, compassion, kindness etc. etc.” Then I started to cry! I cut it out of the paper, it’s on the front of our refrigerator. This one needs to be put on Social Media big time!

Thanks for continuing with daily comic strips we can relate to in our own lives there’s a lot of love in them; I’m a fan!
Connie Dun

Mother loved cats and never turned one away. We lived in the cold Adirondack Mountains in the 1950’s in a house with a cozy enclosed side porch where our dozen or so cats gathered for their dinner and a warm bed at night. As my mother was in my life for just a brief period of time, “Oh Mumsy. She kept my wittle face clean” always touches and warms my heart. Thank you, Patrick.
Adrienne Possenti

I love MUTTS. The strips that show kindness to another being whether from a four legged or two legged are the ones I love the best. The love just shines through the illustrations. It just makes you feel good and glad there are people who care about others. We have always adopted our dogs and cats with the exception of our long haired Chihuahua. However, we have always felt we rescued him from someone who only cared about showing, breeding and selling his brothers and sisters. Each one was special, unique, loved and loving. Our lives have been improved from having them in it. Wish I could win a huge lottery and donate $$$ to animals in shelters or just in need. Thank you for your wonderful cartoon strip, MUTTS, Richard.
Liv Long

I have adopted several dogs in my life but by far the best was a 10 year old Newfoundland mix that had been in the shelter for a year. Nobody wanted an overweight old dog. You constantly remind us that everyone deserves love. The 3 years we got to have her in our lives where some of the best. I have decided from now on I will continue to adopt the elderly and overlooked.
Elizabeth

“I would have to say the one that touched me the most was one I ended up actually getting signed at the “Tek” book signing in Naperville October 2016. And it’s one where Ozzy looks uncannily like My adoptive dad. It was for Father’s Day many years ago and Earl says “I may be adopted, but he’s still my dad”.

But what really intrigues me is MUTTS premiered in the Chicago Tribune in October 1994, and October 9th, we actually adopted our first cat, Rudi and ended up saving her life that day as if she hadn’t been adopted she would have been put down. She had been there for 2 months but lived to be almost 20 we had to put her down after not eating for 2 weeks when there was no other health problems she was just old and she was three months shy of hitting her 20th birthday. Rudi’s 5th birthday, she had found one of the loner socks and was playing with it and it happened to be pink. And that was before the first “little pink sock” strip, but she played with that thing until she was essentially too old to move.

This comic strip has essentially, not taken over my life, but definitely brought my animal adoration to the forefront and influenced how I look and interact with animals and they’re attending humans.

My current cat, Grace, one of the secretaries at that used to work for my mom her cat got happy one night and then a couple weeks later Grace, came along. She’s turning 16 and a half at the end of January and she’s my emotional support animal and she actually met Patrick McDonald at the same book signing and he signed “the little gift of nothing” for her. Apparently, she is the first cat to ever go to a signing, but I’m not sure if the record still stands.

The link is to Instagram where I have compiled all of the pictures and comic strips connected to this, I’m going to call it my animal manifesto even though it’s not the right word for it. But it also includes my “little pink sock” and “I’m a keeper” shirts that I have had.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6gBC7HFo0L/?igshid=14jd13fovg69c
adgunty

I carry the strip with the Martin Luther King quote “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way,” in my wallet and pull it out anytime I need the courage to speak up against cruelty and hate.

Stephanie
San Antonio, NM
Volunteer animal shelter worker
Stephanie Mitchell

I discovered Mutts shortly after my father died. The first Mutts book collection and several others were in his library. That was 2004. I have been an avid reader and collector of Mutts items ever since. As much as I love the two “boys” my favorite character is Schtinky Pudding, aka “Jules”. I love all the strips that he’s in but there is one special one where he is writing a letter to a tiger. It’s from several years back. That he wants to save tigers is one of his most endearing qualities. i love tigers too.
Mary Preston