Allen has been an artist for nearly all his life. He is a graduate of The Evergreen State College, where he received a BA in Fine Art. In addition to his first book, "It's a Dogs Life and This is Mine," he is an artist and craftsman with works in many private collections, and teaches art in Bend, Oregon. He is loved, constantly and unconditionally by his dog, sometimes by his wife, and occasionally by his teenage sons. Allen loves his family, and until the skunk incident, he loved his dog, Shadow; though he still loves him, now he loves him at a distance--until the smell wears off.