Yesterday Gary and his Black Lab Leader Dog, Killer, were hangin' on the corner of Washington and State in Chicago. He's the "Rock 'n' Roll Santa" and he's got the electric guitar, harmonica, tambourine, and red suit to prove it. Time was on his side because he was right under Marshall Field's clock. You know, the one Norman Rockwell painted. And the temp was in the 40s. He calls his dog Killer because he thinks it will scare off bad guys. Right.

He was singing "swingin' Christmas carols" like Chuck Berry's "Merry Christmas, baby, you really did treat me nice, bought me a hi-fi for Christmas, now I’m living in paradise." This year he worked the lyrics "Santa, bring me Osama" into "All I Want for Christmas."

People who aren't blind deposit cash in a bowl that, when it isn't holding Gary's pay, holds Killer's water. Some folks even call Gary by name because he plays gigs on corners all over town. He slips the folding money into a pouch under his coat because sometimes creeps steal from the bowl. Killer sleeps through it all.

To learn more about Leader Dogs for the Blind, click here.

Title: Santa and His Dog
First released for sale: 12/19/01
Price: $250 for a signed 13 x 19"