Great Host, Hostess and Hounds!!!

Hamilton is kind enough to share his big bed with Milly, but they don't touch or snuggle! As Annie said, they are like two junior high students at school dance.

As you all know, I am currently between homes, and staying with a variety of friends. These life changing circumstances have made me really grateful for the incredible friends in my life, who have given me so much emotional support, and provided me with warm loving homes to stay in.

I am currently staying with my friend Annie and her husband Frank, and their two fur children (of the basset variety) Hamilton and Rutledge. It has been wonderful staying with them. The one great thing about being homeless is you are able to spend gobs of time with friends that you otherwise might not get to see, and I have loved being able to catch up with them. If you don't already follow Annie's blog, In Case Something Exciting Happens, I highly recommend it. She blogs about a variety of topics, but I love all of the photos she posts of her darling dogs! Basset hounds have so much expression, and I swear they cannot have a bad photo taken of them.

Milly has enjoyed it too. As you all know, Milly is excellent at adapting. She doesn't require much in life - a few squeaky toys, food and water, lots of belly rubs and some play time - to be happy in basically any situation, in any location. She is absolutely milking being a house guest for all it's worth. I think she thinks our current traveling is all for her, and a way for her to be pet and rubbed by as many people as possible, while playing with a variety of dogs.

They aren't afraid to relax around each other!
Milly's head is shaved because of a hotspot, in case you were wondering.

She has had a great time with Hamilton and Rutledge, and these boys seem to be very smitten with her too. Rutledge, who is just under a year old, is most obsessed with Milly, and likes to stand outside of our door making basset noises in hopes of winning the blonde older lady over. Milly is more than happy to give him and Hamilton the time of day, and seems to really like watching their boyish rough housing. It's so nice for Milly to have canine companions. We've lived without any other dogs for so long, that sometimes I think she really misses that dog socialization. She seems so happy with these young wild boys!

Little Rutledge is so cute! His personality is very much that of a little brother,
"Hey guys! Look at me!"
Oh no, "Big kids!... wait for me!"

The Canine Camper has been a life saver with all of our traveling, and Milly has really taken to it. I leave the door, well in this case flap, open at night and let her come in and out of it as she pleases. She has really started to view this crate as her safe haven, and likes to go in it for some alone time.

It sure will be sad to leave these hounds and humans at the end of the week! They have all been such a joy to be around!

Functional Furniture for You, and a Den for Your Dog!

When I first adopted Milly I was living in a small apartment and had a roommate. I kept Milly’s crate beside the sofa in our living room, and used the top of it as a place to store books and magazines. What I really needed were end tables, but there just wasn’t room for Milly’s crate and end tables, so I made do. As you can see, it was cramped living.

That living situation only lasted a few months, before I realized that I was not compatible with my roommate, and decided to break the lease and move out. I ended up moving to an even smaller apartment with just Milly and I, and found I really needed to use the top of Milly’s crate for storage. At the time, I couldn’t afford to buy a fancy wooden coffee table crate, so I stained a piece of wood and placed it on top of her crate. Voila! More storage! Soon after moving, I adopted a Munchkin Cat. I kept his litter box in the bathroom, and I really wish I'd had this cat washroom at the time!

These days there are so many options available to pet owners that double as human furniture, and make having dogs in small apartments an easy reality. Whether you need a crate that doubles as a TV stand, or want a traditional side table, there is something for you! By buying pet pieces that double as furniture for humans, you will be able to maximize space, especially in a small apartment.

This looks like a trunk, until you remove the front and see that it is a crate! This more traditional crate will keep your dog happy with so much room to see out!


Or, you could get this, which actually is a trunk and perfect for storing dog food or toys! I would love to purchase a nice wooden trunk to store all of Milly's toys in!

I love entertaining, and this wooden den could easily double as a fashionable bar for cocktail hour! These are little details that you need to think about when living in a small space.

Don’t want to have large bulky baby gates separating off-limit areas from pet friendly rooms? Invest in an easy to move, sturdy, folding wooden gate that is not only fashionable, but functional, too! They are made in all wood, or if your dog is a chewer, this wood and metal one would be ideal.

I have a very classic meets contemporary style. I adore antiques, but like to pair them with more modern accessories. For me, this wooden crate would be ideal. Dogs naturally like to den and the walls with smaller slats make this crate ideal for that purpose, and will make your pet feel very secure. The beautiful oak looks great, and you can use it just like any other table!

Small dogs and big dogs can use wooden crates, as they come in a variety of sizes! If I’d had one of these crates in my first apartment I could have kept Milly’s crate in my room, and would not have needed a bedside table!

If you have a modern or retro sense of style, you can easily find great pieces that will suit your décor! I love the silver pet den!

Even with all of this furniture for dogs, there are still times when I want to let Milly on the sofa to cuddle. But, she sheds, and sheds a lot! Milly knows she is only allowed on furniture if invited, and this machine washable dog quilt from Orvis would be perfect to lie down before she hops up. Plus, it is so cute! I’d happily keep that out all the time!

Paw Prints In The Chimney

This evening I was reflecting on what I would want in my dream house: a good bathroom, a nice kitchen with a window overlooking the horse paddocks, and a nicely arranged grooming room. But the most important thing would be the chimney with a brick imprinted with a paw print.

Every house I have ever lived in happened to have a chimney with one brick emblazoned with a paw print. My family never planned it that way, we never commissioned a brick for this purpose, and we didn't notice them until long after purchasing the houses we lived in. But, without fail each house had this unique characteristic, adding puppy charm to our home.

Paw print bricks don't seem to be a trait associated with any particular geographical region. At least not in our case. Our paw print homes have been in Indiana, New Jersey, South Carolina and Vermont.

The paw print chimneys have come to be something special my family shares. We often wonder how the paw print got on the brick - was it a naughty dog running across wet bricks, or did someone plan it that way? The bricks have brought a certain sort of charm to the homes we've lived in throughout my life, and is a great story when guests visit. There is something comforting to know when the homes were built animals were part of the process, and now, in the case of three of the houses, over 100 years later the animals are still a loving part of the household. It's nice to look down and see a dog with a wagging tail at your feet and turn your head to gaze at the chimney and see a paw print - as though the chimney is a reflection of the cherished pets that live there.

This is a tradition I hope to continue when I one day buy or build a house. I'm not sure how I would go about getting a paw print brick and I might have to find a brick maker. It would be neat to have a brick made with the paw print of one of my dogs and know that one day, perhaps more than 100 years later, someone would look at that brick and wonder about the animals present when the chimney was constructed.