| We love our pets. Lots of us offer our pets the prized | | | | of happy pastime. |
| place on the bed or couch. Most of us buy our pets | | | | Soon, I started receiving schnauzer figurines every |
| Christmas presents. Many of us have a harder time | | | | birthday and Christmas from my friends and family. I |
| watching an animal die in a Hollywood film than the | | | | even received mug sets, t-shirts, pajamas, slippers, and |
| main character. But is it going a bit overboard when | | | | other items, as well. After a while, people started |
| we start collecting figurines of our pets? | | | | sending me figurines representing other breeds, as well. |
| I say, "no." We have photographs all over the house of | | | | I started to display may dog figurines in a beautiful lit-up |
| our loved ones, why shouldn't we have figurines of our | | | | hatch. But they were soon cluttering it up, and I decided |
| pets? Of course, this is easy for me to say, and | | | | that I had had enough dog figurines for one lifetime. Of |
| perhaps it is even a little defensive. Why? Because I | | | | course, it was too late. My friends and family had |
| have over a hundred dog figurines (a 101, to be exact!). | | | | already gotten too use to sending me a dog figurine or |
| To any "normal" person, that many dog figurines may | | | | other dog paraphernalia for every holiday and birthday. |
| seem like an absurd amount. Of course, to any | | | | It made their shopping easy. |
| collector, it sounds like a relatively small number. | | | | I had never planned on starting a collection of dog |
| You may wonder how I got started collecting dog | | | | figurines. Sometimes, it seems that a collection is |
| figurines. Well, to be quite honest, it did not start out as | | | | something that other people choose for you. At least, |
| a collection. In fact, when my beloved soft-coated | | | | this is how I felt. After Woogie died, though, I decided |
| wheaton terrier, Sadie O'Grady, died, I got a terrier | | | | to put an end to my collection. |
| figurine to place upon her urn. Somehow, I found it | | | | I thanked my friends and family for sending me so |
| comforting to see the likeness of Sadie - even if it | | | | many beautiful dog figurines over the years, and then I |
| was in miniature. | | | | told them to never do it again! To prove my point, I |
| My dogless days did not last long. I went out and | | | | took the majority of my figurines - all but my most |
| brought myself home a puppy the very next week. I | | | | cherished 101 - to a neighborhood yard sale. All but a |
| decided to stick within the terrier group, but I bought a | | | | few of them sold, and those I donated to charity. |
| miniature schnauzer, Woogie, instead of another | | | | With the money that I made, I went out and bought |
| Wheaton. One day, when I was out shopping at a | | | | myself another puppy, Shasta Daisy. I find that a true |
| garage sale, I found a dog figurine that looked almost | | | | dog lover prefers the company of her dog over that |
| exactly like my Woogie. Of course I had to buy it. | | | | of a few figurines. I still display my 101 dog figurines in |
| After that day, I made a point of finding and buying any | | | | the hatch, but that is where they will remain as Shasta |
| dog figurine that resembled Woogie. It was like a sort | | | | Daisy and I take a walk off into the sunset. |