This is Schmutt. He was the Google “dog pic” for a period that was certainly “Early Google”. Artvilla.com was formed in 1998 which was nearly the same year as Google. We were in Yahoo and I suddenly started to see these requests coming in from this new site called Google. People were asking for “dog pics” or “dog pic”. They were coming to Dog Pics
I visited this new place and found Schmutt sitting there as the first entry on the first page for “dog pic”. As Google grew, Schmutt stayed there for six years! In early Artvilla, Schmutt and one poem WERE our traffic. He held his position for so long that he had a fan club. He really did! You have to remember that Google Images was not there in those years.
Schmutt was named by my wife Janet. She was good at naming things and finding great nick names for family. In our early days I put up other Schmutt material. Like Schmutt takes a bath You can really see how small he was.
The early internet is very different than the one we have today. Schmutt’s picture would take twenty seconds to load, videos were out of the question, music took thirty minutes to “download”, streaming was non existent. Facebook was not a factor then. To post your dog’s picture took technical know how. It’s still true on the internet. In Facebook I think “in here” and “out there”. Out there requires technical savvy, in here does not.
In the modern internet, everyone can show their dog. That’s wonderful. In this day Schmutt would be sitting there with a lot of “likes”. Schmutt had a window for his limited fame. His day in the sun came and went.
He was killed by a crow in 2006. I lost Janet later that year. I don’t have a dog to show on Facebook so I’ve decide to show Schmutt..
Google doesn’t know about Schmutt. Only I know now. When I visit Google I think of Schmutt and the early days of the internet and how we were there. There aren’t too many of these old ineternet sites left now. This one is hanging on.
I’ve sent Schmutt along on his way with this post. I labeled the photos “dog pics”. Good luck little buddy. We’ll look for you in Google Images.
Maybe you’ll have another day in the sun, dear one.
david michael jackson