short stacked

Okay, I know. I had such resolve when we first decided to adopt Baxter.  No more than four beds, three of them inherited from his brothers before him, and one new bed.  Not a lot of toys and no way will this dog's stuff ever need to take up more space than the drawer underneath our washing machine.  My plan? Respect through austerity. 

Fast forward three or so years and yes, tiny chumley's beds and his toys are everywhere now, multiplied like little mischievous bunnies. Add to that the plentitude of blankies that Baxter can call his own, the overflowing bin of duds and clothes and head gear and, most recently, vintage eyewear and neckties that make up his wardrobe, and add his growing food and water bowl collection and what do you get?  Well, thankfully, one little doxie who is still as respectul and sweet as ever.

Which is why I guess I still want to make his home, his world, a more perfect and doxie accessible place. Now that Baxter can encounter a bed and blankie and toys practically every 15 feet in the house and can enjoy them as a nattily dressed dog about town, my attentions have apparently turned to things that help him monitor his world from a higher position that his stubby little legs will allow, and to the things that help him get up there. Upholstered benches and ottomans, which I like to call his kitty perches because he'll climb up on them and watch the world from his window, and the stools that act as steps to allow him to gracefully and safely get from floor to kitty perch and back again.  Because the little kielbasa is too kielbasa sized for those miniscule doggie stair step things, and because ramps take up way too much space for their single purposed endeavors.

And so, for now let's just say Baxter is well on his way to fine collection of kitty perches, thanks in part to an ottoman we already owned prior to Baxter's adoption and a bench and stool scored long ago from Marshalls, but lately, because these hands and paws were made for crafting.  Today, a peekypoo at the craftier side of his collection, made larger by two just these past couple of days when I finally finished regluing and reinforcing his $5 needlepoint flea market score, and after I salvaged the brass feet from a rickety thrift store find to make him a completely new happy kielbasa sized  perch using some fabu fabric and velvet that I discharge dyed and turned into piping.

Yeah, it's a tall world out there.  Somebody's gotta help the little kielbasa see it. :)