When George Lenker agreed to foster little TJ, he had no idea the canine (labeled a “problem dog” by shelter workers) would serve as the impetus for a creative musical venture. At first, George (who goes by “Geo”) did not intend to take on TJ as his furever friend. But as the little dog inspired him, giving him up became impossible. Under the patient loving guidance of Geo, TJ exhibited none of the problematic marking and barking that earned him his reputation as a “handful.”
When TJ did act out, Geo saw it as a cry for help rather than a bad habit, and he was thus inspired to begin writing songs from TJ’s point of view. It started with a song called “Another Kind of Freedom,” which is based loosely on the story of how TJ came into Geo’s life. After that, the music came quickly to Geo, and he followed up with “If I Ran Free” and “Skwirlfriend,” eventually completing an album’s worth of tunes.
If Dogs Could Sing is the compilation of Geo’s efforts, and it’s available for purchase here. Half the album proceeds go to assisting dogs, including helping people with vet bills and covering adoption fees.
Check out a video for “Don’t Be Mad” — we’re sure that all dogs can relate to its sentiment of a pup asking his human to show him patience.
You can listen to the rest of the album here.
Will If Dogs Could Sing become your pooch’s new favorite album to listen to in the car?
