Our dog Umsa and I started out with a hate, hate relationship. She hated me and I hated her. Over the past 11 years, we have settled our differences and changed to accommodate each other. We actually get along quite well now.
The first encounter was with a garden glove when she was about 5 weeks old. She got it. It was hers and she meant to defend it. Umsa was a no nonsense, full of sass puppy. During the first 6 years of her life, anything textile that I loved dearly was hers to mutilate. One day after working very hard to paint, lay new flooring and decorate my upstairs hall, I found the perfect wool hall runner. Perfect size, perfect color, perfect price and somehow she knew how thrilled I was. She claimed it for herself, which was fine, until she ate a hole the size of dinner plate in the very center of the rug.
The anger I felt was indescribable. Why, oh why, did you eat my new rug? Why not something old and smelly? I had just gotten over the holes you chewed in my “one of a kind” quilt. How can I bear this madness?
Even though it was ruined, I could not throw it out. I searched for months for a comparable replacement with no success. So, we continued to use it, walking over the hole for years. That house was sold and I moved the damaged rug to this house and stuck it in the basement. When we all came up to sit and enjoy the Upstairs Porch Uplift, Umsa did not have a soft place to lay. She has become a little spoiled in her senior years. I remembered the runner in the basement. I dug it out, cut it in two pieces, minus the hole, and hot glued the ends with burlap.
If you have a cherished rug that the dog ate or damaged in some other way, all may not be lost. You may be able to repurpose a rug that they decided needed to be theirs anyways. While this is not perfect in any way, it can still serve a purpose and it looks much nicer than a dog bed on the porch. It also coordinates with the burlap table cloths.
Dogs are amazing creatures. They teach us about life, death and what is important. They devote their lives to us. One of the reasons I love the aged/worn decorating style is to allow for the mishaps of pets, children and sometimes adults in our home. In the end, the value of that old rug has faded. As Umsa ages, her presence in our home is irreplaceable. We love you Umsie, enjoy YOUR rug.
I have had several incidents with our dog as well, but I couldn’t imagine life without her!
I know Shauna. I feel the same way!