MIDNIGHT "DON'T JUDGE ME" RUIZ

Midnight’s idyllic life with his loving owner “Grandma” is turned upside down in an instant when the elderly owner’s grandchildren abandon the dog after the woman is hospitalized. Captured by an animal control officer, the terrified dog is brought to an overcrowded open-access shelter filled with “pigs, chickens, reptiles, wildlife, little critters, dogs, and cats. These shelters are where the tame and the wild things go.” The noisy, stinking place is a nightmarish hellscape for Midnight. He befriends another dog named Mister who enlightens him about the shelter’s dark realities, which include neutering and possible euthanasia if an animal isn’t adopted. The two dogs are “Phillybred” and, in addition to being hardcore Eagles fans, communicate in the city’s distinctive vernacular (“you’re gonna eat whatever jawn they hands ya”). With the goal of finding a forever family, the two dogs maneuver their way through an inefficient system marked by prejudgment and indifference. The hundreds of illustrations (which all began as etched ceramic tiles) give the work a unique, decidedly organic feel—Koszalka does an impressive job of conveying a wide scope of emotions (fear, anger, despair, joy) through her art. But the real power here is the narrative, which pulls no punches and is based on a true story. Midnight and Mister’s plights are deeply disturbing, but thanks to kind-hearted volunteers, advocates, and animal owners, their stories are ultimately hopeful rather than sad cautionary tales. As Midnight reflects, “like Grandma used to say, ‘things happen for a reason.’ Maybe cuz when somethin’ really good happens after all the bad stuff happens, there’s gotta be a reason for that. But I dunno. I ain’t no philosophizer.”

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