Our Rescue Dogs & Janery, a Shop Just for Them is a sponsored post, sponsored by Janery. All opinions and photos are my own. Janery is a small independently owned company with a back story I truly believe in and am happy to share here.
I am not sure if I mentioned it but my kids are on Spring break this week, and we have been spending the last couple of days playing with friends, baking muffins, walking the dogs, and even seeing a movie with friends. The movie we selected was Miracles from Heaven, which my kids and I had been wanting to see. We had watched Heaven is for Real as a family, and Sawyer and Emmy just loved it. My kids, much like me, love emotionally riveting movies…. Timothy Green and Max are among our family favorites. I won’t spill any details about Miracles from Heaven, but in the very beginning of the film we learn the father is a veterinarian with a soft spot for homeless dogs, because of which the family has 5 dogs. My friend sitting next to me, said, “Hey that’s just like at your house!” I laughed, and yes, I related!
Now, we don’t have 5 dogs, but we do have 3 and they are all rescues. There’s Jake, our 12 1.2 year old basset beagle mix who was rescued from a shelter run out of a Louisiana home when we lived there. He was born at the shelter to a basset mom with a clubbed foot. At the time we had our old dog Charlie (who has since passed away). A friend called and told me about these puppies needing homes, and since Chris and I had only been married for 3 months it was rather easy to bat my eyes and persuade him that we needed one of these puppies. Jake came home with us, and he has been my baby ever since. I love all of my dogs, but he is my constant companion, my true love dog. He’s aging now, and sometimes struggles to get up from a laying position, and that’s hard for me to watch. But this guy… he’ll always have my heart.
After Charlie passed we thought we would be a one dog family. (I know, I know… I am laughing right now, too!) But it was clear that Charlie’s absence left a hole in Sawyer’s world. We buried him in the back yard and there would be days where Sawyer would wander out there and just sit by the grave. I thought it was time for our family to welcome another rescue, and we decided to bring one home for Sawyer’s birthday. We involved him in the search, and we knew we wanted an energetic dog that would play ball with him. A month or so after beginning our search, we found Catcher, who was listed as a “retriever” (what we were searching for). He’s no retriever, but he is certainly the most energetic dog we’ve ever owned. He can walk for miles, and still have energy to go again. We’ve established that he is part Aussie and part Weimaraner, which makes for a beautiful combination. He’ll be 2 in just a couple of months! This photo was taken after we brought him home.
He’s grown into a truly beautiful dog who loves to play, and also loves to sit right at or on everyone’s feet.
So we were cruising along as a 2 dog family when I got a wild hair last October/November. I told Chris it may just be the last magical Christmas we have with both kids believing…. I wanted to make it extra special. Emmy had been asking for a dog of her own since Charlie passed as well and we had previously told her that her day would come. I took Chris out to dinner, fed him wine, and suggested we adopt a small breed rescue as I didn’t feel our house could take another medium sized dog. By the end of the night he looked at me and said, “So are we really doing this?” Why yes, yes we were!
We adopted Snowball through a local rescue owned by my Sweet Clover landlord’s sister. I had asked her about any small breed puppies coming her way, and she had a deaf miniature schnoodle puppy she was to pick up in Ohio. When the puppy came to Maryland, I met her and sealed the deal. She was being fostered by a mutual friend, fortunately, who was happy to let me come by at 5 am on Christmas morning to pick her up. Chris and I had everything at the house we needed for her, set up under the tree, and that morning was just amazing. You can read more about it here.
Snowball truly completes our dog family, as crazy as that sounds. She’s still a puppy, and she loves playing with Catcher. She has also helped give Jake the rest he needs as now Catcher leaves Jake alone to play with her. She’s a sweet girl who loves to play, and loves to snuggle. She’s been the perfect dog for Emmy. She does struggle with accidents a bit more than any other dog I’ve had because she is deaf and a little more challenging to train. The others bark or whimper when they need to go outside and she doesn’t quite process how to let us know so she just pops a squat on the floor. She’s definitely improving though! Look at that happy face!
Because of her accidents, we currently have all 3 dogs gated off to just the dining room and kitchen, where there are no area rugs. We have room for just two large dog beds, Jake’s old man orthopedic, and Catcher’s bed. Snowball makes herself right at home, snuggling with either one of them (more often Catcher). But she discovered a fabulous little nook she could have all to herself on the bottom shelf of our kitchen island.
Something about this space just feels so cozy and perfect to a puppy; Catcher used to curl up here, too, when he was smaller.
Well several weeks ago, Jane who owns Janery contacted me about reviewing one her her pet beds. Jane is local to me in Washington, DC, and her business was created out of her love for her own rescue dog. I checked out Janery and was taken in by Jane’s own story, and her philosophy. Her philosophy reads,
“Janery’s business philosophy grew from my personal interest in supporting US manufacturers, giving back to the community, and bringing fabulous yet functional design to your home. I source US-manufactured supplies as much as possible, and I’m working towards hiring women in my local community (maybe even partnering with a local manufacturer). Every year I donate a portion of my proceeds to foundations for homeless people and pets.”
I was sold already, but in her email she stated, “I love that you are passionate about interior design, but you’re not afraid to adopt three dogs knowing the craziness that they bring into any home.” Well yes, that is me- passionate about design but living in a house full of crazy dogs who bring in dirt, slobber, fur, but trumping all of that infinite and unconditional love.
With Catcher and Jake already having their own cozy beds in the dining room, I wanted to get Snowball a little bed of her own, something that would give her more comfort and cushion, and would also help protect our island. This area is a favorite of mine, and I didn’t want to sacrifice style for those things.
Janery’s shop features fabulous waterproof dog beds (pictured below), catnip infused beds for the kitties out there, and more.
I decided on the Merlin Mat, a lightweight and flatter cushion perfect for the bottom of our island. I selected the Silver Arrows because I felt it fit the vibe of our house as well as the colors in this area perfectly.
Snowball LOVES her new mat! She often steals Catcher’s toys (he steals hers even more often, so don’t feel bad for him!), and hides here with it, or curls up for a puppy nap. Here she is with Catcher’s Chewbacca toy.
She actually loves her little mat so much that she can sometimes be found pulling it off the shelf if she feels like being on the kitchen floor instead. She’ll pull it off and set herself up where she’d like to be with it in the kitchen.
Janery has earned herself several fans in this house! If you want to know more about Jane and see all of her products, visit her website, but also check her out on instagram. I love following her and learning more about her. She just posted an image of herself with her two dogs and her baby in a backpack on a hike, and I so related as I had just posted a picture to facebook of my kids and my 3 dogs out on an afternoon walk. Dogs are clearly a part of the family for Jane as they are for me.
Head on over to check her out and sign up for her newsletter here and receive 10% off your first purchase!
Thank you so much, Jane, for allowing Snowball to review one of your products. You have a happy customer for life!
This post is sponsored by Janery. All opinions are my own.
