Curated by Union Furniture

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‘When All Else Fails, Hug a Dog’

Pet-Themed Chairs, Prints, Pillows . . .
Tap Into Our Love for ‘Fur Babies’

We have never officially polled our customers about how many of you have pets at home, but we know it’s a high percentage. Sales of our pet-related products tell us that. For many of us, our pets are members of the families — “fur babies.” We like to spoil them and showcase our love for them as much as possible. We also like to laugh and play around with them. There’s an element of fun in all of our pet-themed items: a pillow that reads, “HOME: where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog,” a small sign that reads, “CAUTION! The dog can’t hold their licker” and an upholstered wing chair by Mayo that features “Bad to the Bone” fabric. We’ve had other upholstered chairs with a dog pattern, and they never stay on the floor very long before they’re sold.

The same goes for a series of framed animal prints by Lucia Heffernan that depict scenes like a cow reading “Cosmoo” magazine with the tag line “How to Look Udderly Beautiful,” a cat reading “How to Kill a Mockingbird” and a cat reading a book titled “How to Live With an Idiot” with a picture of a dog on the back cover. Customers routinely gather in front of our display to read each print and laugh. That’s exactly what Heffernan hopes to do with her art. “Through my paintings, I seek to give animals a voice and a personality, while making light of our uniquely human existence,” she writes on her website.

“By imagining what animals might do if put in human situations, I stage tableaus that shine a spotlight on both their innocence and raw instinct. A graphic designer by trade and an oil painter by design, I am continually experimenting with different styles of contemporary realism that balance my artistic sensibilities, technique, and unique sense of humor. As I evolve, what remains constant is my respect for the animals that inspire me, and my desire to bring a smile to the face of every viewer.”

These framed prints are small in size (about 8 x 10 or 11 x14), which make them perfect for lots of places — the mudroom room is an obvious choice, but they could also be great for the kitchen (next to the jar of pet treats), a bedroom, bathroom or anywhere you or your guests will see them and smile.

If you’re pet brings out your sweet side or fills the role of dear friend, you’ll appreciate the pillows that read, “When All Else Fails, Hug a Dog” and “Must Love Dogs” or the small sign with a paw print in one corner and the words “Live With Joy.”

We’ve gathered a few of these items here for you to browse. Let us know what you think, or if you’ve bought one, send us a photo of your pet! We’d love to post them to share with everyone.