Joey, a silver and white miniature schnauzer, sitting upright on a plaid rug in front of a bookcase, looking straight at the camera

Joey McWeber

November 2026Vol. 1 · Palm Springs

New!First Rainnow in motion

The Eyebrows Have It

A sweet, sharp-eyed miniature schnauzer, and the most photographed resident of our house

Photographs by Jim McKellar & Mark Weber

The Video

First Rain

Joey was still a puppy the first time he saw rain, and he couldn’t get enough of it. He planted his feet on the patio, looked straight up, and barked at the sky like it had thrown him a party. Twenty-six seconds of pure joy. He’d have stayed out there all afternoon if we’d let him.

First rain · Puppy Joey

Puppy Days

The Early Years

He arrived with more energy than the two of us combined, and he ran at full speed for most of his first year. The quiet moments in these pictures were rare. Whenever one happened, somebody grabbed a phone.

The Profile

Meet the Boss

Joey runs a tight ship. He’s a miniature schnauzer, which means he takes his job seriously and his naps even more seriously. His official title is Head of Security. His deputy is Crinkles. Between the two of them, nothing gets past the front door without a full review.

Underneath the title, he’s a sweetheart. Joey wants to be wherever you are, ideally close enough to lean on. Get up for a glass of water and he gets up too. Sit back down and he settles in right beside you, as if that had been his plan all along.

He splits his time evenly between the two of us, and he’s scrupulous about it. A shift with Jim, a shift with Mark. Nobody has ever caught him playing favorites, and believe us, we’ve tried.

He also sleeps on his back, which most dogs don’t. Belly up, all four paws in the air. For a dog, that’s about as much trust as it gets. It means he feels completely safe here, and we take that as the nicest compliment the house has ever gotten.

This site is mostly pictures, because that’s mostly what we have. Two phones full of them. We’ll keep adding.

On Duty

On the Clock

The front window, the gate, the backyard. He patrols on his own schedule, and the schedule is always. Golden hour is his favorite shift.

Off Duty

Between Shifts

Even security needs a nap. Usually belly up, as close to one of us as he can get, and completely at ease.

Around Town

A Dog About Palm Springs

Walks, patios, and car rides. It’s a very dog-friendly town, and Joey has taken that personally.

The Commission

Joey, Poolside

We commissioned this from Fredo, a painter in San Diego, as part of his Umbrella Collection. It’s Palm Springs in one frame: two tall palms, pink mountains, a fringed umbrella, a martini nobody is drinking, and a pool that blue only exists in paintings.

And there, by the second chaise, is Joey. Sitting by the pool like he owns the place. It hangs in the den, which is his room, so that seems right.

Detail · The resident

Fredo · Umbrella Collection

More Photos

The Contact Sheet

Holidays, haircuts, and the ones we couldn’t leave out.

The Portrait

The Gray Dog

George Rodrigue spent nearly thirty years painting his Blue Dog: same pose, same steady yellow-eyed stare, set against loud Louisiana color. If you grew up in Louisiana, you know that dog.

This one is Jim and Mark’s Gray Dog. Same stare, same hot red ground. The eyes are brown, and the opinions are entirely his own.

The Masters

Joey,
by the Greats

Five centuries of painters, one sitter. Hung in order of the artist’s birth, which is the only order Joey would accept.