Feng Shui for Fido. Josanne Wayman
Come On In
You Can Have It All
Feng Shui for Fido is for people who adore their dogs and their décor. However you define style – you can live with lots of it, and lots of dogs too. I’ve lived the past 25 years of my life with at least two - and usually three - large dogs. These are dogs many experts deem high-maintenance, meaning they need lots of exercise or they tend to take their frustrations out on the furniture. Despite that, my house has always been clean, uncluttered and by numerous assessments; really cute. So it turns out my house fits the major requisites of feng shui, which advocates eliminating excess and making the most of life’s essential elements. It’s an approach I credit with making my dogs happy and I know it’s made their human happy.
I Adore My Dogs
Who knows what makes some of us so nuts about mutts? Whatever it is, we’re in good company. It’s absolutely amazing the number of books about dogs, services for dogs, dog products and so on, available. I try to stay current on dog psychology and training methods because I want my dogs to be as happy being with me as I am being with them. I’ve put to good use many of the things I’ve learned in books, conversations with other dog lovers and from simple observation. My greatest teacher has been trial and error. I’m hoping to help you benefit from the former and avoid the latter.
I Adore My Décor
I am a hopeless homebody – there is nowhere I would rather be, no matter what. The dogs give me a great excuse to be just that. Because I spend so much time at home, I want it to look, and feel – great. That doesn’t mean, however, that I want to spend all my at home time picking up, cleaning and fixing things. I enjoy decorating projects, but I don’t want to spend an excessive amount of time on those either. And like it or not, I have to release my stranglehold on the house every Monday through Friday so I can bring home the kibble. In other words, I want balance, - that yin and yang ideal I just spoke of. I think I can help you achieve the same balance – at least where your home and your dogs are concerned.
What is Feng Shui Anyway?
The essential concept of feng shui is to promote positive energy. Positive energy pretty much describes a dog - any dog. Sharing your living space with a canine or two will instantly increase the feng shui in your life. Feng shui is also based on the ideas of yin and yang. These aren’t just great names for Shar Peis, but complementary forces in the universe which we need to keep in balance. Dogs know all about balance, they play hard, sleep hard and approach each bowl of kibble with mindfulness and gratitude. Sadly, some people deny themselves the joy, unconditional love, and overall positive energy of living with these wonderful creatures because they think it will have a negative effect on the decorating scheme. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way.
What’s Good For Fido is Good for You
I’m sure you’ve already figured out that this isn’t a training book, or even a book about your dog’s health. But both those things are covered here to an extent because they can have an effect on your home life with Fido. I’m going to tell you what has helped me cope with my dogs’ redecorating adventures as well as the day to day business of life with a dog. I’m also hoping to let you see that living with a big dog doesn’t have to mean living with duct tape and baling wire.
Dogs, in fact, can be a lot better live in companions than bipeds. For all their problems, they hang on your every word, don’t leave their socks on the floor, insist on a 57 inch TV or fill your garage with their ski gear.
I think all happy dog owners agree; what’s good for Fido is great for his human. Who wouldn’t benefit from lots of fresh air, sunshine, simple food, companionship, exercise, and frequent play breaks?
Him, Him, Hooray!
Female dogs are fabulous – of course – female humans, too! Most of my best friends are female, since I’m one myself. That’s why I played around with pronouns for a long time while writing this book and creating my website. It wasn’t until I read a little blurb introducing a book on – what else – that I took a second look. The author was defending her use of the pronoun he. It occurred to me that one thing so many of us love about our dogs is that we suspect even if they did understand much beyond treat, walk and CAT; they probably wouldn’t care who gets which pronoun. So let’s face it, deciding on one and sticking with it, is easier and more clear. Fido is the name for a male dog (not that it matters) so I’m going with that.
What’s in a Name?
I would love to tell you all about each and every dog in my life, but that’s for another book. The important dog in this book happens to be yours. I mention six different dogs here, but it won’t help your understanding to remember any of them. In fact, I think you will find it easiest not to try to keep track of who’s who, but rather what’s what. Just like all the great stuff - playfulness, cameraderie, and a zest for life; chewing, digging, and other destructive behaviors can be part of any dog’s repertoire. I’m hoping to help you bring out the positive and eliminate the negative for the most important dog in your life.
Love and Money
How Much Is That In Biscuits?
I’m a big believer in the sage advice: “Don’t love what can’t love you back.” The implications are obvious where my four-legged lugs are concerned but less so in other areas. I do love my house – among other things – but perhaps that’s because I feel it loves me back in many ways. It provides the obvious; shelter, but it gives me so much more. My home is where I regain my strength and focus, it’s where I get much-needed serenity, it’s even where I feel I’m most productive in the ways that are important to me. Best of all, my house makes it so much easier to live with dogs.
Still, you don’t have to love something to have respect for it, which is what I have for money. That means I try to spend as little as possible if I can reasonably do so. All the tips and techniques I’m about to offer you in this little book are I hope, very economical; though I realize economy is a relative term. But when all is said and done; no matter how clean and perfectly arranged your house or apartment is, its feng shui can’t help you if you’re in financial distress.
When it comes to spending money on decorating, I love looking at what designers do, they are truly inspirational. However, when flipping through books and magazines starts giving me redo fever, I remind myself that enough money and resources can make any decorating endeavor look like a success. But function is an extremely important part of interior design too, and the function of a magazine spread is very different from that of a real-life living room.
You Do the Math
I think sharing your space with dogs gives you a fairly irresistible reason to save as much money as possible on furnishings. Even the best behaved dogs will put some serious smack-down on your stuff. Smaller dogs are no exception – just ask the owner of a small dog. Still, it’s important to remember that the fact something is low cost doesn’t necessarily make it a bargain, in fact, quite often the very opposite is true.
All this still leaves endless choices for decorating your place. You can shop Overstock.com, Target has great looking furniture as do plenty of other discount outlets. Consignment stores are a wonderful choice, too. For me, the siren song of the garage sale or the thrift store is something I can’t resist. The irony behind all my finds is that they probably