There is something about textiles that just draws me to them like a magnet when I enter any home decor store or even Target for that matter. One look at the Studio McGee line and my eyes glaze over and I picture how great it would look in our home. Then I think about the dogs and it all comes to a screeching halt. These are not pet-friendly. What am I thinking?
I must have had temporary amnesia the day I decided it would be a great idea to buy a $40 Studio McGee wool throw blanket for myself. I justified it by telling myself that I’ll put it away when not using it so the dogs won’t get on it. Well, that lasted less than three days. I walked away from the couch for five minutes and came back to find that Daisy had balled that thing up and was laying on top of it.
Hot Blankets
Let me explain about my dogs and blankets. I trained them to lay on blankets when on furniture by throwing the blankets in the dryer so that they are good and warm and then saying “hot blanket” while putting it on the couch. They love hot blankets right out of the dryer. I mean absolutely love it! It was pretty easy for them to put two and two together. But I also created my own monsters because they think any throw blanket on a couch or chair whether purely decorative or not, is fair game. They don’t know the difference.
Needless to say, the Studio McGee throw shortly became hers because she became obsessed with it for some reason. It’s a wool blend which is an absolute no-no with dogs because it was dry clean only. What was I thinking? One wash and it now looks like this!
Fleece Blankets and Throws from Amazon
I have since learned that the best pet-friendly throws and blankets are plush fleece blankets which I buy on Amazon. They are inexpensive which is a plus because I use the king size to put over my bed to protect the layers underneath. Daisy’s skin issues also mean I’m washing these things weekly and they hold up really well.
Zip Off Pillow Covers from Ikea
Another valuable lesson I’ve learned the hard way is not to buy toss pillows that don’t have a zip off cover. Diesel likes to make nests in the toss pillows both on the bed and the couch. I’ve found that IKEA has the best selection of pillow covers to choose from. There is a style for every type of decor not to mention they are very reasonably priced and machine washable. You can’t go wrong.
I don’t even want to think about how many pillow covers and throws I’ve gone through trying to make my home look like something you’d see on HGTV. The reality is, I have dogs that I allow on the furniture and it’s just not going to happen…period! It took me several years to realize this and many dollars later. I can say that these lessons learned and where to shop, make my home look just as nice even with dogs laying all over it.
*This post is not sponsored in any way nor do I receive any compensation. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.
