Pampered Pooch

Oh Lucia…my little princess.

I am almost ashamed to admit that some of Lucia’s canine accessories have gone unchanged for years. She had been using the same set of food and water bowls since I can remember. And her bed? Up until a few weeks ago it was the same pillow bed we’d had for quite some time (I washed it regularly, of course). It worked well, but it was not made to match our home decor…and after a few years of wear it was not looking its best. HomeGoods to the rescue! I visit HomeGoods on a regular basis, and for the past few months I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for some cute new items for Lucia. Their pet department has grown exponentially over the years, and it is replete with options, from collars, to dog dishes, to beds, to leashes/collars, and more!

I have to admit: I was being extremely selective when it came to finding these new items. I knew eventually something would catch my eye, so I waited until the perfect items appeared.

Luck was on my side a few weeks a row, thankfully! First, Lucia’s brand new set of food and water dishes. I could not resist picking up this set when I saw it. I loved the graphic pattern on the ceramic dishes; it blends in with our decor much better than her plain metal dishes from the past. When guests came over to our house, I would hide them away. Now I feel like we have a set that can stay out and be seen! And at $4.99 a piece? Totally affordable.

As for Lucia’s bed? That task was a harder one to take on. I searched high and low until one day Justin and I found her new “princess” bed. As soon as we spotted it in the pet aisle, we knew it needed to come home with us. Lucia’s new bed is round, patterned with dusty blue and cream chevrons, and features a metal bed frame. It sits a few inches off the ground, which works out perfectly in our home. Since we have hardwood floors, it is much easier for me to vacuum around/under the bed now that it is raised. Plus, the frame makes it look like a piece of furniture, as opposed to a dog bed pillow on the floor. Our living and dining room is an open space: there is not room to hide a dog bed anywhere, so it is a huge plus to find a piece that can be on display!

I do have to laugh, though. When we first brought the bed home, Lucia did NOT want to sleep in it. We could not figure out why she didn’t like it. After two nights of her sleeping on the floor instead of in her bed, we attempted to acclimate her. We unzipped the pillow cover from her old bed and sat it on top of her new bed’s cushion. All of a sudden, she wanted to sleep on the bed! I suppose she just missed the comfort/scent/etc. of her regular bed. After a week of her sleeping with the pillow case on top of her new bed, we woke up one morning to see that Lucia had disposed of the pillow case completely; she’d nudged it on to the floor during the night. The next evening, she curled up in her bed without the pillow case on it whatsoever! It would have been just my luck to buy a pretty new bed for my pet and have her refuse to use it. She’s an odd one, that dog of ours. I’m glad she ended up liking the bed in the end, though!

Where do you shop for your pet’s accessories?