Barley Barley Barley

Seven years ago, I brought home an adorable dog from Chicago Animal Control.  He ate my Tuna Helper right off my plate the second I turned my back and then peed in the house.  Good times!

In all seriousness, and as long as my Tuna Helper is out of reach, Barley is a wonderful dog.  If you are considering a pet, I urge you to adopt a dog or cat or other fun friend from an animal shelter.  There are so many good furballs out there that need good homes.  We found an amazing addition to our family through a shelter, and I know you can too!

Martha Monday--Martha Stewart Pets

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Petsmart have combined forces to create a new line of pet gear called Martha Stewart Pets.  The line includes bedding, leashes, toys, grooming tools, feeding accessories and more. 

And by more, I mean 'waste management'...just keeping it real, folks.

The dog bedding is really pretty.  For those who need a dedicated dog bed that's not the couch or the human bed, give these beds a look.  And if that dog bed is in plain sight in, say, a family room (as Barley's is) then something as stylish as these would add to your home decor, rather than detract from it.  Take a look:

These two are my favorites--either would fit in perfectly with my family room furniture/color scheme.  I wonder if they come in size extra-extra-large? 

Good things to know: the cover is removable and machine washable (a must for the TMI household) and the bone-shaped pillow is actually a squeaky toy.  Fun!

While the dog bedding is great, I'm not quite sure about the pet toys.  They are totally adorable...maybe too adorable! 

In fact, I think these squeaky toys look a lot like kids' toys, don't you?  Take a look at this hen house with chicks: 

How cute!  It would make a perfect toy for a child!  And Martha wants me to give this to my dog?  Just imagine the trouble that could cause...my kids and dog would be fighting over the same toys, even more than they already do. 

 Maybe I'll just put all the toys from the Martha Stewart Pets line in this storage bin, and let them duke it out.  Or perhaps a system could work better: Barley can have the toys on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the kids can have the toys on Tuesday and Thursday, and on the weekend...the toys are for me. 

Like I said, that chicken house is really cute.

Martha Monday--A message from Mark Ganem, Pets Editor at MarthaStewart.com

Happy Monday, TMI readers!  Last week I received a comment from Mark Ganem, Pets Editor at MarthaStewart.com, and I wanted to pass the information on to you:

"Barley is adorable! I'm the Pets editor of MarthaStewart.com I just wanted to let you and your readers know about what we're doing to help adoptable animals like Barley. Right now, we're participating in the Purina ONE Tour for Heroes, which is crossing the country with donated food at 11 shelters. Also, every time you share an adoptable pet's profile from marthastewart.com/pet-adoption on your Facebook page, Purina ONE will donate $1 to help feed pets in need. Thanks for all the great work!"

-Mark Ganem, Pets Editor, MarthaStewart.com

Hear that, TMI-ers?  This is a cause all animal lovers can support.

The Tour of Heroes is taking place now through February 26.  And each time you share an adoptable pet's profile with your Facebook friends between now and March 31, you help donate money to feed needy pets. 

Thanks for the heads up, Mark!  And thanks to everyone for supporting such a great cause.

Martha Monday!

Two weeks ago, I entered Barley in Martha Stewart's Easter Pet Contest with this picture.

I had high hopes, because not only did he have a five-star rating and a bunch of views of his picture, but his picture was also tagged ("face") by the judges!

Sadly, Barley didn't win, nor did he make it as a finalist.

Instead, this borderline psychotic pup won...

Seriously, I am just not impressed with that dog or the picture. It's so staged! Where's the soulfulness, the longing, the look that says "Why are you making me wear bunny ears?" I think Barley conveyed that last thought especially well.

Let's take another look at the dog that should have won the Easter pet contest:

How could we not have won this contest???

Out of all the finalists, and if Barley hadn't been in the running, I would have picked this guy for the winner. Seriously, a dog dressed as a lamb? That's hilarious!

You can view the winner and finalists here. Next time, I think Martha should judge the contest and not her website lackeys. With her good taste, I just know she would have picked Barley as the winner.

Now, how do I break the news to Barley? Maybe a doggie treat will soften the blow.

Martha Monday!

Martha loves her pets. They have pet parties, their own caretakers, and her two Frenchies (Francesca and Sharkey) have their own blog at The Daily Wag. Just in time for Easter, Martha is having a contest for pets dressed in their Easter best. Naturally, I entered Barley.

You can view his picture and description in the contest. The Grand Prize is a year of Purina One dog food. View all the contestants or enter your own pet here. Hop to it! Woof!