His animal-and-earth friendly philosophy has made cartoonist Patrick McDonnell a favorite with comic strip readers. Beginning next week, his popular Mutts comic will appear daily.

The strip explores the special bond between animals and their guardians, and the endearing friendship of Earl, the dog, and Mooch, the cat.

Its just cute the way the dog and cat interact, says Jan Davidson of Tipp City, who voted for Mutts in our recent readers poll, and says she finds the strip very funny.

Animals contribute to our happiness and our well-being, McDonnell says. In my strip, I try to capture those small moments of happiness that celebrate the human/animal bond. All animals are intelligent and have awareness and feelings. They are fellow beings and deserve to share this beautiful planet with us in peace. I try to see the world through their eyes, and give them a voice, while still keeping Mutts fun and entertaining.

He seems to be succeeding : Mutts is now is tickling readers fancies in more than 700 newspapers and is read in 20 countries. McDonnell has won the National Cartoonists Societys highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year and five Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip.

On an international level, it has won Germanys Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip and the Swedish Academy of Comic Arts Adamson Statuette.

Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy: two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.

A book author as well

McDonnell has published a number of books: In Shelter Stories: Love, McDonnells animal shelterthemed strips are accompanied by real-life pet adoption stories submitted by readers worldwide. In 2009, he collaborated with The Power of Now author Eckhart Tolle to create Guardians of Being.

The Mutts cartoons have been published in 22 compilation books in the United States and in numerous collections throughout the world. In 2003, fine art publisher Harry N. Abrams published MUTTS: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell, a monograph on McDonnells career.

Go here to see the original:
Mutts to appear daily