When we think of the name Keith Haring, the dog is perhaps the first image that comes to mind. Even in his early artistic works, the Subways Drawings, Keith Haring’s dog became a clear symbol of the abuse of power and authority.

Haring’s barking dog with its mouth open stands for the artist’s distrust of socio-political authority. Haring’s dog is drawn with a continuous angular line that conveys a sense of urgency and warns the viewer to be wary of the establishment. Quite unlike the dog, Haring calls for disobedience to corrupt systems of power.

Throughout his artistic career, Haring has sought to create what he calls “modern hieroglyphics” that can be easily read by a wide audience. Haring’s Dog was perhaps inspired by the ancient Egyptian Anubis, the god of death, regeneration and the afterlife, who also took the form of a dog. His 1985 Dog depicts a standing dog filled with a hellish composition of death, sex and violence, subverting the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph to reflect the turmoil of the 1980s and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Along with the Radiant Baby and the Three-Eyed Monster, Haring’s Barking Dog is one of the artist’s most repeated and recognizable motifs. Haring first conceptualized his barking dog in his early Subway Drawings, and from here it evolved into a signature image for Haring.

Haring’s dog was appropriated by the anonymous street artist Banksy in 2010. In his series Choose Your Weapon.