Living Pretty With Your Pets: Kindred Creative Studio

Some of you might have noticed that this post accidentally posted yesterday again, hate when that happens!!

I follow so many people on Instagram and today’s talented guests is one of them. Meet Jessica of Kindred Creative Studio who has a great eye for design and a heart that beats for dogs. I loved reading her story and knew right away you guys would too.

I’ve always been a dog person. Growing up, we had DOGS – an endless parade of dogs throughout my childhood to be there with me every step of the way. Our family’s dogs (Doberman, Pinschers and Scottish Deerhounds) were always the best part of my day and could brighten even the darkest moments just by being there. So, when I married and we bought our first home, it was only natural for me to fill that cuddle void and find myself some puppy love. Enter: Bailey-only-the-best-dog-EVER. He was my very first furbaby and I swear to anyone who will listen that there will never be another dog as amazing as this guy and his sweet face:

Sadly as life happens, Bailey passed away in 2012 and our hearts were crushed. The loss of a pet is unlike any other, and it’s one of those things you just can’t prepare for. But at the ripe old age of 13, he had an amazingly long and lovely life. A few months after we lost him, I started to feel guilty. The thought of the millions of homeless dogs in the world crushes me and truly, I couldn’t live with myself knowing there were dogs that needed homes when I had a home free for the taking. After much discussion, my husband and I agreed that we wanted to find a small dog for various reasons, but primarily because I needed a dog that didn’t resemble my first baby in any way because my heart wasn’t ready for that resemblance.

It was a warm summer day when I found her. 6:30 in the morning, looking at an email from a friend saying that a family friend of hers had a maltipoo litter due to some overzealous neighborhood puppy romance and they didn’t want her. It was a 4 hour drive, my husband didn’t know, and my kids were sound asleep. I woke them up, shared the news and within about 45 minutes from reading that email, the girls and I piled into the car in our yoga pants with a box of donuts and headed out to find our little love. It was single handedly the most exciting drive of my kids lives. Name picking, dreaming of what she would be like and planning what we would need to buy for her. So.exciting.

And then? We met her. Our sweet little love Lacey. She was exactly what we all needed at that moment.

So much love from this sweet little girl. We grabbed her and went straight to PetSmart (because this was a whim and I had not so much as a leash or collar for this little girl), spent oodles of money on food, beds, leashes, toys, and all of the things that are necessary for a little 5 pound puppy. And then? Life was SO GOOD. Lacey fit into our hearts perfectly.

 

1 year later, I decided on a random day that little Miss Lacey-Loo needed a friend. I had more room in my heart and my home for another sweet puppy. More guilt, I suppose? I put it out there to the universe and all of my friends and within just a few weeks, I received another phone call about a maltipoo puppy that was up for rescue. Another trip of excitement and another day of joy and we had her. Our sweet Hazel.

 

I wasn’t sure about having the two dogs together because to be honest at first they weren’t excited about one another. However, within just a few days they were absolutely inseparable. Sisters officially and always tangled up together snuggling.

When we brought Lacey home, our veterinarian recommended something that honestly rocked my world. We lived in a cold – super cold- climate. Because Maltipoos have hair and not fur, they have a tendency to get very cold very fast and they have no undercoat to protect them from the elements. Our vet recommended LITTER TRAINING them. I think I pretty much looked at her like she had lost her mind. They are not cats!!! But when she explained her reasons and that it’s as simple as training them to go outside, I was skeptical but willing to try.

It took Lacey about a week to get it and once she did? My friends, I was SOLD. Holy wow it’s the best thing ever. No midnight trips to the front yard. No going out in thunderstorms. No snowstorm “where the heck is she going to go?” issues of shoveling a spot in the yard. NO drama. It’s simple, clean, not smelly and I’m ever grateful to my vet for suggesting it – even if I did think she was a crazy person.

Being a designer, it took me about 5 seconds to decide we needed to hide the litter box in our home so that no one would see it and it wasn’t front and center. We were able to build the box with side access into a bottom cabinet in the laundry room and it’s accessible to the pups (and us for cleaning) but not a “look at me” feature of our home. (It’s ok if you think we’re nuts – everyone who walks into our home thinks it’s weird to have litter trained dogs. We get it. And we understand.)

These two dogs bring so much joy to our home. It’s truly a magical thing to watch how they change the demeanor of any person who comes to see us, changing even the worst mood into one of love. They have such a sweet gift and we are beyond in awe of our “Lazel.”   I still cry every time I see a golden retriever, but these two smother us with so much sweetness that it’s impossible to be sad around them.

 

 

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Like I told you guys so many times before, I want a tiny dog in the worst way and after seeing these little adorable fluff balls, it’s gotten even worse. Aren’t the photos so cute?

And what a sweet story. This is exactly how it should be.
Love that they are letterbox trained too.

And last but certainly not least check out Jessica’s beautiful home:

You have to check out one of Jessica’s kitchen makeovers. Don’t you love seeing a good before and after? You won’t believe it when you see the before of this kitchen.

My black and white loving heart is happy with her office.

Pretty right? I knew you’d like Jessica.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Tschüß,

(Youleeya)