It's a girl!
32Quick review: I’ve been looking for a stuffed toy dog that looks like my Mom’s dog because whenever Lady and I leave the nursing home, Mom misses her little doggie so much.
I bought a dalmatian stuffed dog (no animals were hurt during this testing) and after trying many different markers, paints, and one dye, I just didn’t find anything that would color over synthetic material. Markers kept rubbing off, paints became stiff, and the dye – I may never get it off my hands, but it wouldn’t cover up the white material.
So, I decided to buy one of the shelter pups at shelterpup.com. Today I received notice that Lady is ready for adoption.
http://www.shelterpups.com/details_custom.php?id=YHNS18077FLEP
I think they did a most excellent job and Mom is going to be so happy.
- 19 comments, 38 replies
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This is adorable.
They do really great work! I am amazed at the detail.
@conandlibrarian They did do a good job with the spots and I liked the way they tucked her tail between her legs. This is her normal, “I didn’t do it” pose.
Thank you and @heartny for the shelter pup suggestion.
@Barney I’m glad she turned out so well! They really did a lovely job. I hope this does the trick and your Mom enjoys her too. Please keep us posted.
@heartny I will. I’m going to buy a collar and a red heart tag and have Lady’s name engraved on one side and Mom’s on the other. I know, I know, it’s not purple, but Mom doesn’t care for purple. Sometimes I think I was adopted.
@Barney Maybe you could get a locket and put Lady’s photo inside?
IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GONNA DIE!
@Pavlov You are a nut.
Are they one-offs or can we put in an order for Lady?
@looseneck There can be only one.
Truthfully, I don’t know. I guess the pictures could be resubmitted.
Well I am in love. Hope Mom is also.
@f00l I think she will be. I’m so excited, I can’t wait for
ither to arrive. I hope they don’t use Meh’s delivery system.Amazing. Can I ask what they charge?
@tinamarie1974 per their website $125
@tinamarie1974 I was going to be snarky and say too much, but I think their price is fair considering what you are getting. My Grandmother’s birthday is coming up, and she deserves something special. A few years ago, my grandfather died, her dog died and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor all within a year. It really took a lot out of her, and I think getting Angel “back” will be a great gift.
@conandlibrarian hope you are doing well now
@AttyVette No complaints
@conandlibrarian I would agree, depending on the scenario I would pay significantly more. I completely understand why @Barney made the purchase, and I hope it makes her mom happy
It is a beautiful puppy
@conandlibrarian @tinamarie1974 I think it’s very expensive especially with the expenses of the nursing home, but it’s something I wanted to do for her and I think she’s really going to like it.
That’s great Barney, they did a great job, I hope your mother will appreciate all of your efforts!
@jbartus I’m hoping she won’t feel so lonely.
@Barney if nothing else she should be able to look at it and be reminded that, despite having to put her into such a facility, you truly love her and care for her.
So much detail on the spots. I didn’t realize they were wool felted. Turned out pretty cute. I hope it helps.
@RiotDemon I really thought the spots would be so hard to do. Maybe they were? Yeah, they did a very good job on them.
@Barney I’ve watched felting videos before. Looks like you need lots of patience to do them.
/giphy purple puppy
Aww that looks so cute! They did an amazing job with the spots! Might get one done in the future.
@ELUNO I bet the spots drove them crazy.
@f00l Is this the photo you are going to submit?
@Barney
No, this photo us just for you!
Awesome !! Great job and thoughtfulness !!
@AttyVette Yeah, they really did do a good job. I’m so impressed.
Congratulations Barney! The stuffed Lady looks just like the real Lady from the picture.
Hope your mom enjoys it.
@dashcloud I think she’s going to be so happy.
This is so cute, and so wonderful…
Also, since I missed it in the original thread, I’m just going to second the thanks to @conandlibrarian and @heartny for bringing my attention to this place… so cool.
@brhfl I spent quite a bit of time going through the pet pictures before I bought mine. They really do great work.
Wow, it’s beautiful! (I’m talking about what you’re doing for your mom, but the stuffed animal is pretty amazing, too.)
@rv617 Aww, you make me purple blush.
Wonderful that you could find something she will like.
@Kidsandliz She misses Lady so much, I just hope this will help her a little.
It looks great! You are so thoughtful. She will love it! ❤️❤️
@Lrok Hi!! So good to see you and thanks.
I assume it was fairly pricey though for such awesome custom work?
@luvche21 Yeah, it was (sigh), but I think it’s worth it.
@Barney It turned out extremely well!
@luvche21 @Barney Perhaps it’s not a bargain, but the real issue is whether it’s worth it. You’ve said that it is, and many of us would agree. Think of the time Barney spent trying to create her own (without much success); then think of the hours some artisan put into felting this awesome little pup.
I would think about spending twice as much under the right circumstances for a bit bigger dog of this quality (story for another time).
@compunaut I would like to hear your story.
@Barney Me too. I love this little guy, and I hope your mom does too.
@Barney So, little back story:
My oldest is super smart. Yeah, almost all parents say stuff like that about their kids. Listen - scored in 90th %tile on ACT, with perfect 36 in Science. Got a 25 in Math even tho he had yet to take geometry or trig, cuz: he was only in 7th grade. Seventh. Grade. Been getting college recruitment letters since before he was in high school.
He is also on the autism spectrum. Sensory sensitivity issues, trouble with social skills (his honesty can really be brutal), shows little emotion apart from telling unfunny jokes & getting peevish when others aren’t laughing. Except when it comes to his dog, Blackie. When our temporary foster dog Grace had her litter (see other thread) and we were scrambling to find adoptive families, the kid (he was 10) came to me and said, “I know we’re trying to find the best homes for all the puppies, but I would be really sad if Blackie had to go.” I stared for few seconds, then mumbled past the lump in my throat: “He can stay.”
How it relates to Lady:
Next year (fall 2017) the kid is expected to attend an academy for gifted students on a nearby college campus. They finish last 2yr of HS taking college courses and getting both hs & college credit. He’ll live in a dorm-style setting and can’t have his dog. I would pay twice - maybe more - than what The Shelter Pups charges for a ‘stuffed animal’ if it gave my son the comfort & joy that the dog does.
TL;DR: Worth it to pay a premium for the truly important things in life.
@compunaut Wow, really smart kid (and proud parent, which you have every right to be). So, how often will your kid get to come home to visit? You have said you would like a larger version of his dog – maybe that would not be necessary. I read that a lot of kids like the smaller versions of their dogs to take with them when they go off to school.
Let me take a look at Lady when she gets here and I’ll give you my opinion. Yeah, I’ve been a little worried that Lady might be too small even for Mom.
Btw, that’s a really cool dog you have. He’d make a great Shelter Pup, big or small.
I received the Lady dog in today’s mail.
First the good news. The website closeup of Lady’s face does not do it justice. While the picture of the stuffed dog’s face looks a little pudgy – and the nose a little gray – kind of cartoonish – they actually made a perfect duplicate of Lady’s face and head. They did a good job on the spot placement too. She looks like a Lady Mini-Me, but she doesn’t have an evil bone in her.
But two things bother me, one is my fault for not realizing this. The dog is really small. I mean S-M-A-L-L. @compunaut, you’d have to increase the size at least fourfold before you would even begin to have a dog the size you want.
And while the bigger spots are made out of the wool, they used a paint that smeared, on the speckles. The website photos show a white dog with black spots, but by the time the stuffed dog arrived at my house, the speckles had smeared so much, I now have a grayish white dog, particularly on its back and one leg. I know that with handling, the dog will turn gray, but I was kinda hoping to at least get it out of the box before this happened. -sigh-
I must say that the dog is cute as hell, and I’m going to give her to Mom, but I guess it’s not what I need/want as a snuggle buddy for Mom. Was it worth the money craftwise? No, I don’t think so, but others seem to be very happy with theirs.
I did buy a collar and heart tag and will give Lady to Mom after the holiday weekend. (Mom has caught a bug and is not feeling well. In fact, she wouldn’t even look at the real Lady today – all she wants to do is sleep right now.
So, I’m going to keep looking. If I find something, the Shelter Pup Lady will look real good on Mom’s nightstand.
@Barney
Perhaps this company could craft exactly what you want, if you were very specific? Tho I suspect it would cost.
This is way beyond sweet. Can we see your pix of the new mini-Lady?
@f00l It would be way out of my budget.
I’ll see if I can borrow my neighbor’s phone this evening. Maybe it’s time for me to get a camera or a phone, or maybe I should breakout my crayons?
@Barney I’m super bummed to hear this. Honestly, for the price, I would contact them. I’m shocked they would use a paint that smears.
@RiotDemon Yeah, I know, but I’ve fallen in love with her.
She’s still adorable, isn’t she @RiotDemon?
@f00l, here’s the pic.
My neighbor brought me carrot cake, too. Yum!
@Barney it is really cute. You’re right about the head looking better than what they showed in their photo. Maybe they can offer some kind of compensation for the smears though.
Either way, I hope your mom likes it.