George Rodrigue was born in New Iberia, Louisiana on March 13, 1944. He studied art at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. As an artist, he chronicled Cajun life and was best known for his signature Blue Dog images. He is the author of more than 12 books including Are You Blue Dog's Friend?, A Blue Dog Christmas, and Blue Dog Love. He died, after a two-year battle with cancer, on December 14, 2013 at the age of 69.