Living with pets
Koontz - Jodi emailed me today regarding business, but in the note she mentioned that her time has been filled lately with the antics of a new puppy in the house. Both Jodi and I have had dogs die this year, so any mention of dogs sends a conversation right off track and into the wonderful world of dogdom.
My first dog spent his youth traveling to work with me. I fell in love hard and fast and frankly, could not imagine leaving this guy on his own each day, so he got bundled up in the truck and he became my construction dog. Unbeknowst to me, this turned out to be a great benefit when Fourth of July came around. My dog napped under the saw table, so a few fireworks didn't even make him flinch. I've been lucky with clients too, and can only remember one in the past many years who did not have a pet that the crew took to heart. Often I remember the pets' names before I can recall the clients' names. I think that speaks well of my priorities.
A house with four-legged inhabitants can still accommodate style. It has to to with making the right choices. I for instance, made a hideous choice when I recarpeted. I chose a reddish carpet, which I still love; But I lived with three dogs who all had black and white hair. (Is it hair or fur on a dog? What's the distinction?). The color of my carpet shows up only for that five minute interval before one of the dogs lies down in the path I've just vacuumed. And it's a close cropped carpet, which I think now was also a mistake. Everything they drop, track or bring me is glaringly obvious.
My couch though was a touch of genius. Courduroy is one of the most forgiving fabrics I've ever seen. I can't wear the pants, but it works great if you live with animals. Research tells me that velvet, oddly enough, is just about as good with your animals. It just always recovers and it looks good far beyond it's years would decree.
Because I am an oh so indulgent flat mate, one of the first things I did for my dogs was install a doggie door. I was able to actually put it in one of my backyard doors, but access can also be installed in walls leading to your yard and often the location is better for style considerations. I recently installed a dog door for a friend in the office room wall and built a ramp from the dog door to the yard drop. By then my dogs were of an age where I'd begun to notice the issue with landings and stairs, so I planned ahead for this pup. There are plenty of other style choices now for those of us that live with our friends in close quarters. In fact if I'd listened to my vet, I would have installed the dog bowls in a cabinet that I could close off during the day...
Keep in mind that living with your pets doesn't mean you can't upgrade your home or style. As we continually say in these articles-it just takes a bit of research to find what will work for all concerned.
My first dog spent his youth traveling to work with me. I fell in love hard and fast and frankly, could not imagine leaving this guy on his own each day, so he got bundled up in the truck and he became my construction dog. Unbeknowst to me, this turned out to be a great benefit when Fourth of July came around. My dog napped under the saw table, so a few fireworks didn't even make him flinch. I've been lucky with clients too, and can only remember one in the past many years who did not have a pet that the crew took to heart. Often I remember the pets' names before I can recall the clients' names. I think that speaks well of my priorities.
A house with four-legged inhabitants can still accommodate style. It has to to with making the right choices. I for instance, made a hideous choice when I recarpeted. I chose a reddish carpet, which I still love; But I lived with three dogs who all had black and white hair. (Is it hair or fur on a dog? What's the distinction?). The color of my carpet shows up only for that five minute interval before one of the dogs lies down in the path I've just vacuumed. And it's a close cropped carpet, which I think now was also a mistake. Everything they drop, track or bring me is glaringly obvious.
My couch though was a touch of genius. Courduroy is one of the most forgiving fabrics I've ever seen. I can't wear the pants, but it works great if you live with animals. Research tells me that velvet, oddly enough, is just about as good with your animals. It just always recovers and it looks good far beyond it's years would decree.
Because I am an oh so indulgent flat mate, one of the first things I did for my dogs was install a doggie door. I was able to actually put it in one of my backyard doors, but access can also be installed in walls leading to your yard and often the location is better for style considerations. I recently installed a dog door for a friend in the office room wall and built a ramp from the dog door to the yard drop. By then my dogs were of an age where I'd begun to notice the issue with landings and stairs, so I planned ahead for this pup. There are plenty of other style choices now for those of us that live with our friends in close quarters. In fact if I'd listened to my vet, I would have installed the dog bowls in a cabinet that I could close off during the day...
Keep in mind that living with your pets doesn't mean you can't upgrade your home or style. As we continually say in these articles-it just takes a bit of research to find what will work for all concerned.
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