talented friends

I have a very talented friend who is a great artist and photographer. She's also my go-to "Mona Mae Keeper" when I go out of town. And for Christmas this year, she was super generous and gave me this lovely painting that she did of my sweet miss.

She recently opened her own shop on Etsy that features all original work. Make sure to check it out!

another way to help haiti

Search and rescue dogs are working overtime in Haiti right now trying to find those buried as a result of the earthquake. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation - the only non-profit in the nation that recruits rescued dogs, partners them with firefighters, and trains them to find survivors buried in the aftermath of disasters - has deployed several teams to Haiti to help. 

USA Today ran an article this weekend about the efforts of search and rescue dogs in Haiti. One team - Bill Monahan and his Border Collie - rescued three young girls buried under a four story building.

If you'd like to support their efforts, please take the time to go to their web site and donate.

[NOTE: Apparently their web site is down because they're receiving so much traffic. You can learn more about what they're doing in real time by following them on Twitter.]

Watch the video below to see a hero-in-training:

puppy love

Valentine's Day collars are in the shop! My favorite is the HeartBreaker Bow Tie... Check them out here.

Who says guys can't wear pink?

And all my proceeds from this year's Puppy Love Collection will go to the Morris Animal Foundation Canine Cancer Campaign. I lost my puppy valentine to cancer less than a year ago, so by raising some money for the cause, I hope to save someone else's valentine.

anthropologie doorstop

Where's a poorly hung door when you need one? I really wish I had a good excuse to bring this guy home...

the dog hair factor

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here, but I love interior design. It's a huge passion of mine, and if I had a chance to do it all over again, I'd say "forget political science... let's get an interior design degree!"

Anyway, the reason for my digression here is to confess that my design choices in my own home are primarily dictacted by two things: 1) Do I like the way it looks and 2) is it dog-friendly?

So when I look at a photo like the one above, the conversation with myself goes something like this:

"Ooh, I love this bathroom. So pretty! I love the way they've hung the deep green velvet drapes outside the door. And the rug is such an unexpected choice for a bathroom, but it really adds interest to the room. Oh, but it's probably an antique. I could just see my face the first time one of the dogs tracked mud on it. And can you imagine the scratches their nails would make on that floor? And those velvet drapes - you might as well just hang a sign on them that says 'Dog Hair Magnet.'"

But here's the thing... I love my dogs WAY more than pretty velvet drapes, white floors and fancy rugs. So I stick with what works (i.e. washeable, wipeable, nothing too fancy), because at the end of the day, an expensive sofa isn't going to greet me at the door with a wagging tail and an open heart.