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" When it comes to artwork depicting dogs, man is often a dog&amp;#039;s best friend. At its twenty-fifth anniversary Dog Sale last February, Bonhams New York sold about $1 million in dog-themed art, collectibles, and sculptures. This niche category continues to be a popular area of interest with collectors. But perhaps the most valuable dog bone is the iconic painting Dogs Playing Poker by artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, which sold at Doyle New York in 2005 for $590,400. The response at Bonhams clearly reveals the new appeal of the category (the next Bonhams New York Dog Sale is slated for February 2008; www.bon hams.com; (212) 717-9007).     PAINTINGS Setters, a playful oil on canvas by Thomas Blinks, fetched $94,250. A Budding Artist (above), signed by Alfred William Strutt, sold for $32,863, triple what the house estimated it would bring at auction. Waiting for a Meal, by the Dutch artist Henriette Ronner-Knip, brought $56,763.    SCULPTURE A 20th-century Continental bronze bulldog sold for $1,673. A pair of carved-wood hound dogs brought $11,950. Alight-hearted group of four Continental bronze bulldogs sold for $717. A Bull Terrier Club commemorative medallion went for $269.  COLLECTIBLES Bookends featuring two terriers by Edith Barretto Stevens Parson sold for $2,271. A British brass dog collarfrom the 19th century brought $1,195. A barking bulldog toy fetched $2,390.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/antiques/a689/dog-artwork-auction-0607/>