For Fun - Dog Friendly Decor in Dogs in Canada

There is an article online at the magazine "Dogs in Canada" interviewing Colin and Justin from the tv show "Colin and Justin's Home Heist" - and they're talking about dog friendly decor, and some of the suggestions that they give really show that they have never lived in a really dog friendly home - as far as I'm concerned anyway! haha!

The article says that "Dogs in Canada has some simple tips and solutions for Colin and Justin’s top six design faux paws." Well - I'd like to add - "Dogkissers additional ideas to Colin and Justin's design tips"!!

Dirty digs
According to Colin and Justin, the number one thing all dog owners should be doing is keeping their home neat and clean.

Dogs in Canada fix
Regular grooming, slipcovers, and Colin and Justin finish off the section by saying - “No excuse! If your dogs are scratching at your coffee table don’t just try to pass it off as rustic. No one is going to buy that, okay?”

Dogkisser's idea - my very first dog George chewed off the leather handles to an antique trunk that we used as a coffee table in our living room. We only had George for a very short year and a half until she died tragically - but we had that trunk for a lot of years after that - and every time I looked at the chewed off handles on that trunk I thoughth of George and remembered when I came home and saw those chewed off handles - and I'd get a bit misty. Personal possessions and stuff are transient - it's your stuff that you use to frame around your life - but your stuff ISN'T your life. And it should be treated that way.

Smell no evil
Concerned that your house has a distinct doggy odour? “To be sure how clean your house is, ask people who don’t have dogs. Ask them to come over because you be-come immune to it,” suggest Colin and Justin.
“That happens with bad smells as well. Don’t think that only happens with Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermès, it happens with dog odour as well.”

Dogs in Canada fix
Use a time-release air-freshener in areas your dog favours.

Dogkissers idea - I've written a whole blog post here before about sticking my nose close to Buttercup's bum so I can smell her popcorn farts. Enuf said....

Dog-obsessed designs
When your dog is a winner, ribbons and trophies tend to pile up quickly. But Colin and Justin claim that using them as home decorations is definitely a design no-no. “It’s like an obsession. Love your dog, be proud of your dog, and if your dog is a trophy winner, that’s fantastic. Celebrate that,” the pair offer. “But you do not have to have trophies and ribbons all over the place, because then the dog is dominating your decor.”
Having your dog’s knick-knacks all over the house can cramp anyone’s style. Colin and Justin concede that “You want to spoil your pooches. Of course you do. But do you really want to sit and watch TV with bones and bowls and all sorts of other paraphernalia that your dog may have?”

Dogs in Canada fix
Frame and display just the ribbon and/or photo of a big win.

Put up candid photos, but consider starting a scrapbook for show photos. Or commission an artist to paint your dog’s portrait and display that in a place of honour.

Dogkissers Idea - I have what I call the "Buttercup wall" - a whole wall with nothing but pictures of Buttercup. As far as I'm concerned - my dogs faces ARE works of art. I don't have a problem with that. I don't understand why anyone else would either... I mean, jeez - dogs are so beautiful, right? And bones are like the perfect shape, and stuffed animals on the floor are impossible to trip over because they're soft, and blankets everywhere just add colour to a room...

Fan-atics
It’s easy to become a fan of your dog, but when you accessorize your home using your breed as the motif, being a fan of your dog becomes your identity. Colin and Justin outline a familiar scenario: “It just goes overboard and then you actually become one of those people who that is all you get. It’s a vicious cycle.

Dogs in Canada fix
Edit your collection often. Keep only the things you really like or feel strongly sentimental about.

Dogkissers idea - that's the best thing about having mutts, and having multiple dogs - you will never fall into a breed rut! I am free to put up pictures of every kind of breed that I come across on my walls, on my bed, on my back, on my letterhead, as bookends, on my curtains, as a bumpersticker, you get the idea.

Their final advice -

Love your dog but don’t become obsessive

Dogkisser'e idea - AS IF!!