A well-known New Orleans dog is little, blue and a work of art. Contemporary Louisiana artist George Rodrigue has painted a Blue Dog series, which features a blue-haired, yellow-eyed dog, who is painted around New Orleans. The dog can now be seen in homes, art galleries throughout the country, the front of hotels, in advertising and promotional art and posing with well-known people.

Rodrigue first created the dog in 1984; the first Blue Dog painting, called Loup Garou, was inspired by his dog Tiffany, who had passed away, as well as the mythological Cajun creature the Loup-garou. The Blue Dog rose to fame in 1992 when Michel Roux commissioned Rodrigue to paint Absolut Louisiana and Absolut Rodrigue for the brand’s national ad campaigns. Not long after, he painted the dog for Xerox and the Blue Dog was famous nationwide. The Blue Dog also became a key element of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival posters, which led to the Blue Dog becoming the face of New Orleans. The Blue Dog has been painted in a variety of settings and scenarios, to include pop culture references and scenes with a New Orleans theme. A 16-foot-tall, three-sided aluminum sculpture of the dog is present at Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Causeway Boulevard in Metairie. The dog is so popular that during the 2016 presidential election cycle, after voters in Louisiana left the voting booth they received an “I voted” sticker that include a picture of the Blue Dog in front of the American Flag.

Rodrigue was able to leverage his art to raise money to help New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Rodrigue started a new initiative, Blue Dog Relief: George Rodrigue Art Campaign for Recovery, with funds to directly benefit the New Orleans Museum of Art. He also launched a campaign for levee protection, sending prints of To Stay Alive We Need Levee 5 to all members of Congress. He also donated his Cut Through the Red Tape image to the United Way for promoting the Louisiana 2-1-1 phone system.

Many New Orleanians feel pride in George Rodrigue being a local artist. Locals and visitors alike can stop by Rodrigue Studio on Royal Street in New Orleans, as well as galleries in Lafayette and Carmel California, to admire original Blue Dog paintings.