And now for a behind the scenes ceramic animal related story. While we were working on this…
… this happened:
Since I’m still not ready to talk (or write) about it in depth, here’s John’s depiction of how the tragedy occurred:
Alas, my favorite giant ceramic dog (snagged from HomeGoods three years ago for just 29 bucks) sadly lost his face. In the words of the world’s most famous blogger, it sucked and then I cried.
Yes, there’s a candle lit vigil in progress. Goodbye Mr. Ceramic Dog. You were a wonderful pet. Never had to clean up after you once. Until this happened.
I might try to glue him back together (although some of the pieces are pretty tiny). Until then I’ll be found shaking, crying, and whispering “why?”
Just kidding, I’ll live.
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Cara says
Poor dog!
Lauren H. says
You can totally save him! Just glue him back together, even though it will be majorly time-consuming. Slap on a little caulk wherever there’s a gap or missing tiny piece, and then give him a nice coat of glossy white paint when you’re done, and he will be good to go. He’s too precious not to save.
Wehaf says
I’d glue it back together, fill in any gaps with sugru, and paint the whole thing.
Pamela says
My jaw just DROPPED when I saw the picture! I just knew you were going to be heartbroken….
sniff sniff. :(
Kristin says
While his head injury is a tragedy, I think it is only fair that you give repairing your beloved ceramic dog a try! I’m sure you could glue the big parts, fill the rest in with something, and maybe repaint him for a pop of color :)
Laura says
I have had several ceramic tragedies, most of which can be blamed on the feline residents of my house trying to jump somewhere they aren’t supposed to be (a cat may have nine lives, but ceramics only get one.)
Super glue, a dark flat surface, some tweezers and patience. You can piece him back together! Even if you miss a few small chips just turn his bad side to the wall. Don’t give up hope–I have faith in you guys!
Seaweed says
Not sure how desperate you are but we live in the Northern Virginia area, near DC and I just saw 2 of these at the Homegoods in Tyson’s Corner! Maybe they can ship them?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much! We’ve heard they’re actually at a lot of HomeGoods and Marshall’s so we’re going to keep our eyes peeled. Thanks again for the thought though!
xo,
s
Candice says
Oh poor puppy! Definitely try the glue. And if there’s still chips, spackle his adorable face with some tub enamel or something like that and spraypaint him plum! It’s worth a try. He’d do it for you if he dropped a picture frame on your face, you know.
Monika says
Awe! Poor ceramic dog. At least you have a hilarious picture to remember him by. :)
Daniella says
I second Rosa’s recycle idea. Maybe fill it with dirt and use it as a planter on the porch? He could be your greeter! (second to Burger of course)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’ll be known as the house with the headless dog planter. Neighbors won’t be scared of that, right?
xo,
s
Andrea says
I inhaled so sharply when I saw the picture of the carnage, everyone else in my office rushed over because they thought I had cut my finger open or something.
Poor pup. May he rest in piece(s).
(John’s illustration is amazing. You guys need to find more reasons for him to draw. Maybe a YHL comic?)
MichelleG says
frowneyface. does the addition of a piece of art for the wall of frame(s) count as an upshot? :o)
Liliana says
Ouch! Seeing the broken doggie hurt more than loosing my job today, lol! What can I say, I love animals…including ceramic ones = )
Hope gluing him back together saves him!
~ L.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh! So sorry to hear that. Fingers crossed that something awesome is right around the corner. When one door closes another one opens.
Hopefully when one ceramic animal is tragically injured another ceramic animal opens? Or comes into your life? Something good. You get what I mean. Haha.
xo,
s
Marla says
Love how you kinda sorta found a teeny bit of humor in this. Though it really does stink. Feeling your pain!
Karissa says
I am so sorry for your loss :( I have a real greyhound and wonder how she would have responded to the loss of her ceramic counterpart! Also, let me get this straight – on a daily basis, you are responding to posts from this blog, the baby center blog, facebook and twitter? You guys are amazing!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we’re crazy like that. Haha. We do what we can.
xo,
s
tia says
Sorry I don’t have the patience to read through all of the posts to see if this has been covered:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/how-to/how-to-repair-chipped-china-141177
read this the other day and would love to read along as you give it a try.
but as my piles of things to repair generally overwhelms me, I shall say this: it is sometimes good to let things go. If he was mine, his new life would probably be as drainage at the bottom of a flower pot.
Melissa K says
I just audibly gasped. I think I’m devastated FOR you. Although… I can’t wait to see if you find something even better to replace it!
Jennifer says
My first post (although I visit your blog often). Was thinking last night that the ceramic dog was adorable and I should find one for my house. So sorry for your loss.
Btw – I found your blog last year when I googled “paint your fireplace”. Not only did I paint my fireplace white, which is georgeous, but you have inspired many changes in my home. Thank you. I will try to figure out how to send you pictures.
Kayakgirl73 says
I know the feeling. I broke a vase that I got as a present for my first anniversary the first time I used the thing. I cried. It was sent from my Brother-in-law and sister-in-law who live overseas. It was Bohemia crystal. I’ve never seen anything quite like it here. I haven’t had the heart to tell them about it.
Jennifer says
Sorry, my email adress was incorectly fixed by my iPad. Here is the correct one.
Andrea K says
Haha – I was going to suggest you find some other animal head and glue it on … just for fun. Like a stuffed animal lion or a deer head or something like that.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, perfect. I just need a big furry lion head…
xo,
s
Susan says
OUCH! :( That so looks like something that would happen at my house. Hope you can find a replacement…I’ll keep my eye out for you.
Jaime says
My mouth dropped open when I saw the picture. I’ve long admired that dog statue. I’m sorry for your loss- such a bummer. :(
Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says
Ouch, so sorry for your loss. I’m in favor of gorilla glue for the dog. Poor dog. OH! And did you know that you called Burger, “the dog” earlier today? You recovered and called him Burger in the next paragraph, but “the dog”? Seriously? Shesh, if he could read…. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, how could I? I hope he forgives me.
xo,
s
Beth@Just{Heart}It says
Noooooooo!
You should see how my mouth just dropped open.
Lighting a candle in Texas for you, too.
Jamie B. says
Awww, noooo! At least you still have his concrete (?) buddy. Right?
YoungHouseLove says
Thank goodness! And he’s a strong old boy!
xo,
s
Tiffany says
As soon as I saw the picture of the poor faceless doggy I gasped and let out a loud, “Oh no!” I TOTALLY feel your pain. (The irony here is that it broke on your 29th Birthday and you only paid 29 Bucks.)
Ann Marie says
RIP, old friend. RIP.
Keller Creative says
My heart hurts! Don’t you just hate when that happens? Awhile back I found these awesome vintage stacking s&p shakers. They were my favorite thing in the kitchen. Then one day when I was cooking, I knocked them over and pepper went crashing to the ground… I still get sad thinking about it…
Allykristine says
EEEEEEEEEEEEK!
Geez, John…couldn’t you have dropped the thing closer to the tail end rather than the noggin? :)
(John’s looking a little thin in the crime scene diagram. Eat a sandwich, bud :)
xox
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I know right? No wonder I’m begging for bun toning shoes, my hubby is a toothpick!
xo,
s
cristina s says
Glue him back together and paint him a bold pop of color like a bright yellow… make him imperfectly perfect (:
I laughed the whole way through this post btw.
Alice says
RIP Mr. Ceramic Dog RIP. Poor Burger lost his ceramic brother. And it looks like the floor might have taken a hit also as I think I see some scratches/gouges on the hardwood.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah that’s kind of the least of our floor’s worries. Haha. They’re in desperate need of some love!
xo,
s
andrea says
Say it ain’t so! May the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem comfort you!
I know this sound horrible…but what about chopping his head off completely and using him as an umbrella stand or maybe a piece of tile and making him a plant stand/side table or putting him outside and growing a plant or ivy inside? He was such a cutie!
SO sorry!
p.s. go look at anthropologie’s sale on the website, i was in a store today and saw some things you might dig!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re the third person to recommend that- and I love how you think!!
xo,
s
alg says
In the spirit of “misery loves company”, I thought I’d let you know that you’re not alone in your pain… my 3 year old is completely distraught over the broken doggie!
She happened to be sitting next to me when I pulled up the blog. When she saw the pics, she was just beside herself.
Fortunately, she finally decided that it will all be OK, because “Daddy can fix it!”
I didn’t have the heart to contradict her :(
So sorry for your loss… I’m sure doggie is eating ceramic bones and chasing ceramic rabbits in statue heaven!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s adorable. We’ll keep an eye out for your husband. Haha.
xo,
s
cla says
I feel your pain, just this morning as I was walking out the door I passed our fluffy white and gray wool rug (its like walking on cotton balls!), and saw cat vomit all over the white areas…whole house of hardwoods and she chose that area…sigh…I still have hopes it can be saved, but I’m not quite sure how. Time for the carpet cleaner experiments to begin.
Gaidig says
That’s so sad. I really loved that dog. I was wondering where he was in some of the previous pictures. There just seemed to be a gaping hole where he was supposed to be. I feel like he helped balance things out. Of course, the easiest thing to do would be to find something else to fill that same visual role, but I know just how I would fix him. I would glue him back together and if there were any obvious cracks or missing spots I would fill them with two-part epoxy modeling putty, then sand it all smooth and spray paint him. I imagine that if you get a really good clear coat on top, he’ll look ceramic again, especially if you have painting skillz like my boyfriend.
Mindy says
Ruh roh :( (That’s what we say when we hear/witness our chocolate lab chewing on/ruining something…well… until it turns into a roaring NO! when we find it’s shoes or a cherished baby item! :) If for some reason it’s not gluable, maybe you can find an identical one/similar one on ebay or amazon? Or maybe there’s an even more fantastic piece–hard to imagine right now, I know–for you to find and put there someday. Poor doggie!
Cecelia says
My condolences. I loved that piece too.
Consider the baleful influence of that ceramic ram’s head.
I suspect this Mephistopheles representation sensed the sleek elegant beauty of the dog and willed its demise.
You must remove this aberration! Your robust rugged rhino is in grave danger!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. Hilarious! Comment of the day goes to Cecelia.
xo,
s
Lou says
Hi Sherry. I’ve never commented before, everyone always says what I’m thinking anyway. But I wanted to tell you that there is a wonderful, heavenly material that you can order online that will save your beloved dog. Its called Milliput, and is a two-part white epoxy putty. You can use it to put things back together, and to fabricate missing pieces as well. Its shapeable, sandable, and paintable. With some patience (which I know you have) you can totally save your little friend. I’m not affiliated with the product, I just use it all the time for one of my jobs assisting an art conservator (note: her specialty is restoring ceramics). If you were interested in giving it a go, and had any questions or needed pointers, I could totally help. Good luck, don’t be sad.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds like the stuff of miracles. Love it!
xo,
s
Diana says
You should glue him back together, then decoupage it with some interesting paper…like old sheet music. I think he can be salvaged! You two are definitely creative enough to do it!
And I know yours will look better than this one: http://www.amazon.com/Decoupage-Dog-12-Hx17-MULTI/dp/B003Z91EUS
Sara says
Oh no! I know you guys can fix this… you guys are wizards with putty and paint. Superglue what you can, fill in/patch/sculpt/sand the rest, then paint all over? Poor doggy. :(
Shannon says
I’m so sorry for your loss! But this will give you an excuse to go back to home goods for a replacement! You’ve finally given me that little push I need to begin my own wall collage! http://www.compartmentlife.com
marie says
oh noo! I literally sat here with my mouth open. RIP, ceramic dog.
Melanie says
Lol. I love how John’s stick character has nothing to do, or is even touching the frame that is looking wobbly and fell on the dog. He looks so shocked. Glad to know this happens to other couples. I tell my husband “Damnit! We can’t have nice things!” whenever things like this happen to our favorite stuff. Heartbreaking.
I’m reading that book now, coincidence!
Glue together, then crackle glaze it.
Julia says
I know the pain you are feeling. I once had a ceramic dog that was actually a toilet brush holder. I loved that thing. And it broke. And I cried. And yes, I used it for its orginal purpose. ew.
Angie says
Oh boo so sad. I really enjoyed watching where that dog moved next!
Laura says
The first photo kind of looks like Stitch from the movie Lilo & Stitch.
RIP Ceramic Dog Guy :(
Lililee says
I’m certain that I have seen very similar white ceramic dogs at my local Home Goods store. I live in California. Should I snag one for you if they are still there?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Lililee! We’ve heard they’re actually in a lot of HomeGoods and Marshall’s so we’re going to keep an eye out here! Thanks so much for the generous offer though!
xo,
s
SarahR says
Just when I was starting to think that John was almost as perfect as my husband (also named John) he goes and flubbs it all up! Good job John, good stinkin job!!:)
P.S. some of the comments on here are so comical…where do you find these followers? Priceless.
YoungHouseLove says
I know right? Everyone is cracking us up today. Best readers ever.
xoxo,
s
Kristy says
http://shop.gessato.com/new-arrivals-c-43/buck-stacking-game-p-692
its a white buck.and a game. not the same as the dog, but still very fun!
YoungHouseLove says
So fun! Love it.
xo,
s