Dog Figurines - To Collect, Or Not To Collect

We love our pets. Lots of us offer our pets the prized place on the bed or couch. Most of us buy our pets Christmas presents. Many of us have a harder time watching an animal die in a Hollywood film than the main character. But is it going a bit overboard when we start collecting figurines of our pets?

I say, “no.” We have photographs all over the house of our loved ones, why shouldn’t we have figurines of our pets? Of course, this is easy for me to say, and perhaps it is even a little defensive. Why? Because I have over a hundred dog figurines (a 101, to be exact!). To any “normal” person, that many dog figurines may seem like an absurd amount. Of course, to any collector, it sounds like a relatively small number.

You may wonder how I got started collecting dog figurines. Well, to be quite honest, it did not start out as a collection. In fact, when my beloved soft-coated wheaton terrier, Sadie O’Grady, died, I got a terrier figurine to place upon her urn. Somehow, I found it comforting to see the likeness of Sadie - even if it was in miniature.

My dogless days did not last long. I went out and brought myself home a puppy the very next week. I decided to stick within the terrier group, but I bought a miniature schnauzer, Woogie, instead of another Wheaton. One day, when I was out shopping at a garage sale, I found a dog figurine that looked almost exactly like my Woogie. Of course I had to buy it. After that day, I made a point of finding and buying any dog figurine that resembled Woogie. It was like a sort of happy pastime.

Soon, I started receiving schnauzer figurines every birthday and Christmas from my friends and family. I even received mug sets, t-shirts, pajamas, slippers, and other items, as well. After a while, people started sending me figurines representing other breeds, as well.

I started to display may dog figurines in a beautiful lit-up hatch. But they were soon cluttering it up, and I decided that I had had enough dog figurines for one lifetime. Of course, it was too late. My friends and family had already gotten too use to sending me a dog figurine or other dog paraphernalia for every holiday and birthday. It made their shopping easy.

I had never planned on starting a collection of dog figurines. Sometimes, it seems that a collection is something that other people choose for you. At least, this is how I felt. After Woogie died, though, I decided to put an end to my collection.

I thanked my friends and family for sending me so many beautiful dog figurines over the years, and then I told them to never do it again! To prove my point, I took the majority of my figurines - all but my most cherished 101 - to a neighborhood yard sale. All but a few of them sold, and those I donated to charity.

With the money that I made, I went out and bought myself another puppy, Shasta Daisy. I find that a true dog lover prefers the company of her dog over that of a few figurines. I still display my 101 dog figurines in the hatch, but that is where they will remain as Shasta Daisy and I take a walk off into the sunset.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on pets and figurines, please visit Dog Figurines.