JED the Dog. 1999 - 2014

We got Jed as a puppy in Warrnambool around October in 1999 (our landlord suggested we get a dog after our house was robbed). The guy who owned them asked me to sit down while he went and got the puppies to let me pick one. As soon as he opened the gate they all ran inside and straight past me,  except for one that jumped into my lap. The guy said 'that's the one I wanted to give you.'

We took him home to Footscray and all moved to Cockatoo a few years later.  My partner left and took our daughter to Sydney but left me the dog. I got a bit mixed up and moved around a lot after that. Jed was a consistent thing in my life which my young daughter needed to see when she visited.

He would sleep on the floor of the bedroom, going to bed when she did, which made her feel safe. I remember one sad day when he went through the house looking for her after she had gone home to Sydney.

I also remember him being very patient with her when she would do things like, tie him to her bike and try to get him to pull it. One day he walked up to me with paint all over him. After a bit I realised it was make-up she had put on him from a kids make-up kit.

He's in this film with Garry. The barking and growling are sound effects added in later.

I was considering using him in Hanging at Picnic Rock but decided against it as filming a death scene for a dog might be a bit too complicated. He is in this video on our locations scouting though. More towards the end.



He was a pretty constant part of my life. I could take him travelling, camping, to parties and art openings. A lot of people got to know him.

In 2010 he was beginning to have problems walking, by 2014 I decided to put him down. It was an awful experience and there seems to be no way around the guilt. I took him to the Avonsleigh vet, as he was still on their files from Cockatoo, and, on Jan 23rd, I buried him in the Dandenong ranges where we spent a lot of time.

Sonnet, my daughter, called me up on the day and wanted constant updates. She was back in Sydney but had built him a little shrine.

I put a little tribute on Facebook and a lot of people said some very nice things. I was very surprised at how many people new him.

I will probably get another dog one day but now is not a good time. I don't think I can really replace him though. He was around for a lot of big changes in my life that I'd rather not go through again. At times it made things hard, to have a dog to look after, but also it gave me an anchor and a focus on something other than my own problems. Life was simple for Jed. I will try and remember and learn from that.

But for me it is an end of an age. My shadow is gone and I will miss him.

UPDATES

Well I've neglected this blog for far too long and it's time to get back into it.

I'll put some stuff up soon on the short film Retribution. It didn't do that well on the short film circuit and I don't know why because it had its moments including a couple of screenings at Morbido film festival in Mexico, which I will talk more about later.

Here's a pic.

I'll put some stuff up about the comics I've been doing including this, which is up to 5 pages now. About 15 to go.

And I need to update the progress of my next film Blood for the Demon's Daughters. Here's the latest drawing of one of the daughters.

All that and more in no particular order.

MATT POI - R.I.P.

One of my best friends and a significant life changer took his own life this year at 41. He was in my world for a substantial amount of years and had a funny habit of turning up unannounced at major points.

Sadly I hadn't seen much of him over the last 8 years our last encounter being a phone call he made to me after he saw my Hanging at Picnic Rock short in 2011.

 He was a keen and talented guitarist and in 2003 he composed and played the score for a film I had made. It was recorded over 3 days in an old farmhouse in Wangoom, Victoria. There is a story that goes with it that I considered including in Issue 1 of Confessions of a Rookie Film Maker. Even though I had the space I never did. I regret that now and plan to include it in a future edition.

 


 Here is a link to the film or you can download or listen to the music here, https://soundcloud.com/clint-cure/escape-artist-theme





I can't quite believe he is no longer with us, but to me, he will be around forever. It is not the same world without him.

Video Blog - Ep 3

At work talking about the films I am ripping off to make this.

Video Blog - Ep 2

Me talking about the main characters, Doc and Taz.

Video Blog - Ep 1

Me talking about props.

Confessions of a Rookie Filmmaker - No 3.

I've got number three drawn. One and two are available as online downloads now here at Indy Digital.

That took a while. Some people find it very funny, some people are pissed off. Oh well. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. Or you can but it would be  a really shitty omelette.