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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Lynda says
So sad. I have a real Whippet so I feel your ceramic pain!
liz says
Dogspeed, little guy.
YoungHouseLove says
Ok, that made me snort. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Katie says
Gorilla glue, putty, and some high gloss spray paint…..you can work magic with it!
–Katie
HK says
Oh no! Sherry, I’m so sorry!
nikki says
Oh no! Not the ceramic dog!
I must say though, that the drawing is quite funny.
Beth Fulton says
Please please please don’t throw your dog out! It can be fixed! I know a conservator in Ashland who might be able to help out. E-mail me if you want his information.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Beth, you’re so sweet! We’re definitely planning to give it the old college try. Details when we do!
xo,
s
stephanie says
oops.
well, you can always watch friends reruns for an intact white ceramic dog.
an anecdote with a bright side: my mom has 3 wooden cats in her vestibule about the size of your pooch. when my kids are at her place she has to lay all 3 of them down on their sides so that they dont get pulled down on top of them by them. so maybe a clara related incident has been prevented. bright side.
Katie says
I quite literally gasped and covered my mouth with my hand after seeing your poor doggie!
Michelle says
I KNEW something happened to poor Roofus when I saw him missing from the after pictures. And then I thought maybe you just removed him in the same manner you remove the bench from the foot of your bed.
Bye bye Roo. You brought joy to many lives.
Carole White says
There is a garden center here in northeast TN that has the same doggie. I know he’s less than $30 because I’ve almost bought him every time I’ve shopped there for the last 2 years….at least. Maybe you could check garden centers in Richmond? The one here in Johnson City, TN is called Evergreen & is not a franchise but I’m thinking there may be hope!! And I must say that I want to go buy one for myself more than ever now. May he R.I.P & may you find a replacement!
Giselle says
Farewell good old friend…. Farewell….
Karen says
I’m crying with you! I gasped and it startled my husband. Last week I broke my favorite glass cake stand into a bagillion peices on my kitchen floor…wahhhh!!
Leslie says
I saw this EXACT ceramic dog at my local HomeGoods in Birmingham just two days ago! As an avid reader, I know how much you loved this thing. If you’d like, I can purchase and send it to you??
YoungHouseLove says
You are too sweet! We’ve actually heard from tons of readers who have seen them at HomeGoods so we’re planning to just keep an eye out and hopefully if it’s our ceramic dog fate to find another one we will!
xo,
s
Sara says
I almost cried when I read this…he was my favorite too!
michelle says
Was this before or after the new sneakers??? Just wondering if he was making up for it. :P
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it was before them.
xo,
s
Corrie says
::giant sad face with lower lip sticking out::
I definitely sat in front of my computer at work with my mouth hanging open when I saw all these sad (and one hilarious) pictures! So sad to see your ceramic dog got punched in the face by your new frames. Maybe the frames thought he was cramping their style. That’s a shame though because it was my favorite of all your ceramic animals. I was actually wondering why it was in some pics of your ‘reveal’ post and not in others. :o( I was secretly envious of it this whole time because it reminds me so much of my Great Dane. Hope you can piece it back together – good luck!
Jennifer B. says
I was soo sad when I read this!
I found a similar one online, but the price is scary!
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/greyhound-9
Jennifer B.
[email protected] says
I’m not sure if anyone else has mentioned this. But I was shopping at Home Goods in Columbia, MD a month ago and saw your exact dog! Maybe by miracle it is still there…
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip. We’re on it!
xo,
s
Liz says
Just came across this website http://modern-decors.com/decorations/category/modern-design/ and they have a picture of your living room from your first house! (scroll down a little past halfway). I got so excited when I saw it haha! Thought I should share :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Apologies if I’m repeating a comment, but what about gluing him back together as well as you can and then doing something like this to him: http://www.westelm.com/products/paper-mache-bird-a945/?
YoungHouseLove says
Always a possibility!
xo,
s
ginai says
LOL at the drawing!!!!
Sherry, glue it back together, then prime it, and then repaint it with textured paint to conceal the ‘broken pieces’ OR if you are real artsy? get a small pail of plaster and go over it, let it dry, then using a exact o knife and sharp tools, reshape the face! ((:
my son is an EXPERT at this.. good luck! I KNOW it CAN be done.
Liz says
sad :(
Michelle says
soooo sad. after reading your blog for so long it actually bummed me out with you :(
pamMN says
Sherry and John – I am new to your blog and am enjoying it immensely. Started reading this post with my husband in the room and we are both howling. Oops, was that too soon? That cartoon was absolutely hilarious! So sorry that your ceramic pup bit it. (oh gosh, now I am on a roll….) It’s funny but somehow it is reminding me of what my sister and me would do as kids to our chocolate rabbits at Easter. Perhaps in your travels you’ll come across something similar and you could re-build it? A la The Six Million Dollar Man? Just a bit less costly.
Here’s an option: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68699765/afghan-hound-large-ceramic-dog-statue
YoungHouseLove says
Cute! I like how he’s mid howl. Like you guys when you saw John’s drawing. Haha.
xo,
s
Whitney says
R.I.P. Porcelin Pooch
Jenna says
I don’t know if I should say, “AWW” or laugh. The picture he drew really made a happy moment out of a bad situation! I can relate though, it seems like when you are trying to make a step forward around the house, you take a few steps back!!
Joy says
Its like the first scratch on the brand new floor or the first chip on your favorite set of dishes. Makes your sad/mad and then the next awful isn’t as bad. Great ‘sketch’ of the accident. Just glad Clara wasn’t near.
– Joy
jennifer says
I just yelled “oh noooooo” and my fiance came running…”What’s wrong, what’s wrong”….”Sherry’s ceramic dog broke”…”.who is Sherry”….”Ummm….she’s my blog friend”. Just happened!!
I work for a trade show company and have had to source some interesting items for peoples exhibits. Check out Studio Specialties or Superior Studio. They are here in Canada, but have locations in The States…and they ship! AND….they have your dog!!!…if you’re ready for a replacement:(
Stephanie says
Oh no! I just started reading here, and the first thing I noticed and loved was that dog. I will mourn the loss of large ceramic dog.
Jannell says
Aww, I hate when something like that happens. Where’s the rewind button when you need it!
I don’t know if you guys are superstitious, but our crazy Italian lady neighbor stopped by yesterday and after some bizarre stories she started telling us about all the things that bring bad luck in your home- broken objects being one of them. We have a jar of broken glass, clay marbles and other odd bits we found when we regraded the lawn and a photo strip we found in a wall. She almost jumped 5 feet when she saw them, refused to touch them with her hands (but kept poking them with a pencil) and said we needed to throw them out right away and burn the picture!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s pretty funny! I hope we can restore him to all of his glory, that has to be ok luck right?! As long as he’s no longer broken?
xo,
s
Sadie says
Oh man…tragic. I just broke my beloved glass fish bowl (exactly like this http://www.zgallerie.com/p-2438-big-mouth-fish-bowl.aspx but mine was from Target several years back clearanced down to arpimd $10) last night. Like yours, it had survived a move. Oh the injustice!
Lynea says
Wha! No! You should make the key on that wall a ceramic bone in tribute…
Kymberly says
Maybe with a little one something unbreakable would be better
http://cgi.ebay.com/LARGE-MODERN-CHIC-WHITE-GLOSS-GREYHOUND-STATUE-DECO-ERA-/350445029788#ht_2526wt_1139
YoungHouseLove says
Agreed. Resin is the best!
xo,
s
Kiran says
Oh no! I hope you are able to salvage the dog. Poor burger, is he mourning?
YoungHouseLove says
Ironically Burger doesn’t seem to care at all. Haha. Maybe he’s glad there’s one less fake dog in my life. Haha.
xo,
s
Michelle says
Okay, there is a rule…anything breakable in the vicinity of where you’re working on an area…gets moved far, far away! I would be in tears if that EVER happened to my ceramic Nipper (RCA) dog. My cats have even been warned!
Courtney says
I gasped when I saw this post! My heart is so broken for you Sherry! I’m so sorry!!
ALWAYS CHASING says
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…. I googled & eBayed & did a general monster search for a replica of your dog.. and now even you don’t have one. It’s a sad day! :(
Cassie says
Well at least it was that dog and not Burger!
P.S. John’s drawing made me laugh so hard!
Sheila Zeller says
Awe, bummer. I’m sad for you… I noticed he was missing in the ‘finished product’ photos too, but was waiting for the next surprise location – I didn’t see this one coming :-(
Sheila Zeller says
Awe, bummer. I’m sad for you… I noticed he was missing in the ‘finished product’ photos too, but was waiting for the next surprise location – I didn’t see this one coming :-(
PS – I’ll be wearing black right along with you Sherry ;-)
Shelley says
Once upon a time (about 12 months ago) I found a sturdy wooden chair at a rummage sale for only $1. I fell in love with it especially because I was getting into the whole DIY stuff and wanted to learn how to refinish furniture. The chair sat outside our front door keeping my flower pots company and patiently waiting until I had time to give it it’s make over. Then one tragic day I came home to discover my cherished quaint chair in shambles. (I guess it’s besides the point to mention that my loving husband used it to stand on to break into our apartment when he was locked out, but that if there was a cartoon sketch of the incident that would sum it up.) I stood just stood there and cried. I’d never cried over a broken item until that day.
I think in some small way I feel your pain.
Kelly says
“Oh dear…” That’s what I said when I saw the picture (but with a British accent, even though I’m not British.) So sorry Sherry.
I liked the umbrella stand idea someone had up above. At least it would be tinsy bit more functional then? He was such a good doggie too.
R.I.P. little guy!
Leslie Lowell says
Awwwww, I was admiring the dog when looking at a previous
post. I almost cried myself looking at the poor thing.
I had a slight trauma at christmas time. New house rule: no flying the Air Hog helicopter in the same room as the Christmas tree. Wah, lost a vintage ornament {broke by a grown-up not a kid though}.
My condolences…
(tim)me says
You know what? I don’t, know if someone else suggested it, but you could try to glue all the big pieces together, fill the gaps with plaster, smoothen it and then spray paint it.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw I’m glad you guys have faith in us. We’re definitely going to give it a try and report back!
xo,
s
Ashley says
Thats a shame! I hope that doesn’t happen to me!
Vikki says
uuuugh! I just had that awful pit of your stomach ache for you! I broke Jeff’s vintage Schooner beer glass the other day, and I almost cried even as the break-ee!
But leave it to John to draw a perfectly accurate picture for us; every frame in the drawing is in it’s right place! How could you ever not forgive someone like that, huh? :)
I hope there are many new ceramic fur babies in your future <3
xo,
Vikki
Datt says
Aaaaw, so sad for you, all the way from Norway! <3
Cristina says
sob.. an important part of your family will be missing :°-(
R.I.P. ;-)
Cristina says
And now.. it’s time to look for a brand new big white ceramic dog!
christy says
Sherry, I’m so sorry for your loss!
Looking at him without a face is just heart wrenching! A few weeks ago, I saw his identical twin dog brother at our local Ross. Yesterday I stopped by to see if he was still there but sadly, he’d already been adopted. I totally would have sent him to you!