The Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership: Remember I Love You
An original dog graphic T-shirt from Osaka, Japan — DOG 010
A dog’s life is so much shorter than our own. We may share a home, a daily routine, and years of memories, but we do not share the same amount of time.
Perhaps that is why a dog’s affection feels both so generous and so fragile.
DOG 010 began with a reflection on the Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership: a reminder that the animal who trusts us will spend only a small part of our lives beside us, while we may be the center of almost everything in theirs.
The Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership and the Time We Share
The Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership is a message often shared among people who love dogs. Its opening thought reminds us how brief a dog’s life can be, and how painful separation can be for an animal who has learned to depend on us.
The point is not that every dog lives exactly the same number of years. It is that our time together is finite, and that a relationship built on trust carries responsibility.
A dog does not understand our plans for next year, our deadlines, or the reasons we sometimes hurry past a moment of affection.
But a dog learns our voice, our steps, the sounds of a familiar door, and the feeling of being safe near us.
What seems ordinary in our day may be everything to the animal waiting for us to come home.
Kenba no Rō: Service Without Asking for a Reward
There is a hidden Japanese expression inside the DOG 010 graphic: 犬馬の労, pronounced kenba no rō.
Literally associated with the labor of dogs and horses, the expression refers to devoted service and effort on behalf of someone else.
In this design, I wanted it to carry another meaning beyond obedience: respect for a kind of love that asks for little in return.
Dogs accompany us through ordinary days, changes, disappointments, and celebrations. They do not ask to be understood as heroic. Much of their devotion is made of repetition: showing up, waiting, trusting.
That steady presence can be easy to take for granted precisely because it asks for so little attention.
The hidden words are there for those who look closely. They turn the graphic into something more personal than an animal portrait.
Remember I Love You
Near the dog’s left ear, the artwork carries a small message: “Remember I love you.”
It is not a decoration added for sentiment alone.
I imagine it as a simple truth a dog might want us to remember if it could speak to us with human words.
Not an elaborate statement of loyalty. Not a demand to be praised. Just a reminder that affection was there, day after day, while there was still time to share it.
The message becomes especially powerful when we think about what happens after that time has passed.
Our memories may remain for decades. The dog who gave us those memories had only one brief life to live.
An Original Graphic from Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka
I work as a graphic designer under the name nextform and run nextHome, a small members-only bar in Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka.
At the counter late at night, ordinary conversations can bring out feelings that are difficult to put into words during the day: gratitude, longing, regret, and love.
DOG 010 turns those feelings into an everyday graphic. The dog faces forward, its ears raised and mouth open. The hidden Japanese phrase and small English words reward a closer look.
The nextHome logo on the back connects the artwork to the place where I continue to design and think.
The T-shirt is not intended to replace a memory or turn affection into a slogan. It is a small object that can carry an important thought into daily life.
For Anyone Who Has Loved a Dog
A dog’s loyalty should never become an excuse for us to expect limitless patience.
To receive such trust is to be responsible for it.
That means making room for the animal’s needs, paying attention, being kind, and remembering that the time available to us is not endless.
DOG 010 is dedicated to that simple responsibility and to the unconditional affection that makes it matter.
Remember I love you.
And while there is still time, remember to love in return.
DOG 010 — Original monochrome dog graphic by nextform / nextHomeOSAKA, Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka, Japan.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is “Remember I love you” on DOG 010?
It appears as a small hidden detail near the dog’s left ear in the illustration. The phrase is meant to reward someone who looks closely, rather than dominate the graphic as a large slogan.
What does the Japanese expression 犬馬の労 mean?
犬馬の労 (kenba no rō) is an established Japanese expression associated with devoted service and labor, traditionally expressed with humility. In this artwork, it is used as a hidden detail alongside a reflection on loyalty, gratitude, and caring for a dog.
Is this a customizable dog portrait?
No. DOG 010 is an original graphic featuring a front-facing dog with upright ears and an open mouth, not a portrait made from a customer’s pet photograph. Check the Etsy listing for the garment’s current sizes, colors, and buying conditions.
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