Okay, I know–this is not a picture of a dog, but here’s how hamsters made me want to write about dogs.  I continue to vacuum around the table with the now-empty hamster cage on it (which never got as elaborate as this).  I had thought the passing of our first hamster years ago was going to be so hard on the kids but then they got busy working on their two-part harmony to Circle of Life and planning the post-funeral snacks.  We went on to have others, and good, interesting, life-lesson kinds-of-things happened along the way.  But now, we are pet-free, and I sort of miss it, especially having grown up with a dog. But hamsters are so easy, and dogs . . . ?  Well, gets me wondering how folks handle living with a dog.

* Well, I guess it not too hard if you have this in your yard.  I found this labeled photo on a fun blog named Just Cool Design.

*Most folks go for something far more modest, I’m guessing, like a plain ole’ dog bed.  What, too low to the ground and you can’t do a good dog ear scratch that way?  This platform dog bed should solve that.  Find more dog beds here.

* Moving on , there’s the shedding.  Savvy decorators make sure to blend in Fido’s fur colors.  (Is any dog really named Fido?)  Keep this in mind when you choose your dog.  Not big on beige?  Move on from those beige pug dogs, or you’ll be living like this blogger!  More of a black and white kind of decorator?  Here ya’ go. (Thanks to a blog named Material Girls: Design Inspiration from Coast to Coast, where I found the photo).

*Interested in one good doggie tip for the day?  Regarding doggie doors, get the right size (see picture below for what happens when you don’t–but fair warning, major cutie alert).  See info about how to measure your pet here.

* Oh, and one more thing, if you’re thinking about getting a dog, consider checking out your local shelter first.  We adopted my childhood dog from Bide-a-Wee.  And really, she was the best.

Hire a builder to construct a dog house for you or build a platform dog bed.  Give an interior decorator the “design around the dog fur” challenge.  Have a handyman install your new doggy door, or get a cleaning service for when the fur’s flying.  And, of course, don’t forget to choose a vet.  You can find all these service pros on Kudzu.