Real-Life Inspiration for Cartoon Dog Dies at 17

Posted Wednesday, September 6, 2006 12:00 am

By: E&P Staff The real-life Dogzilla -- inspiration for the Dogzilla canine in "The Buckets" comic strip -- has died at the age of 17.

When Scott Stantis created "The Buckets" in 1990, it was based on his own family in a loose rather than exact way. "But Dogzilla really existed," Stantis told E&P today. "My two boys and I went to the pound and Dogzilla was the one they picked. His original name was Kerouac, for the famous 'On the Road' author. But my sons couldn't pronounce it."

Stantis said the real-life Dogzilla survived an attack by a wild animal and a broken back that occurred when he tried to climb a six-foot fence. "An amazing creature," he noted.

"The Buckets" is now created by Greg Cravens of United Media. Stantis does the "Prickly City" comic strip for Universal Press Syndicate and editorial cartoons for The Birmingham (Ala.) News and Copley News Service. He's also a former president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

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Real-Life Inspiration for Cartoon Dog Dies at 17

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