It's My Bed!

Someone has taken over Brody's Bed! It's Kandras Fat Cat Toby. He is obviously claiming his territory and spreading out to make sure no one else can take it over. :)

I asked Kandra to make some recommendations on any changes she would make or what she liked about the bed. She had this to say:

"Brody and Toby fight over it. It definitely keeps
him off my couch. The only thing with Brody is he always pushes the back pillow off I think its
because then its wider and he can stretch out more other than that he uses it all the time and really loves it."

Kandra will be happy to know that with the final mock up of this style it will be 2" longer in the largest size for even more stretching room. It will also feature wider arm wraps, 5" thicker bottom cushion and a more "stylish" back pillow. This prototype was a very quick mock up to see what we needed to change. I think with the 5 or so changes that I made it will be better and of course - the bed will come in a variety of fabrics (the one shown in the photo will not be in the variety). 

Update for the Week

Hello! I thought I'd just drop in to let you know that prototypes for styles 2 & 3 are at the wood shop. My designs for them are coming to life and I'm one step further! In the beginning I'll be offering these three designs in 3 sizes per design. I should be getting the frames back in a week, and I'll then be moving them to upholstery. As soon as I get them back they'll be posted for your opinions! Thanks for hanging in there :)

Meet our first dog: Chopper

Time to give you a little more insight into my inspiration. Meet Chopper - or Chops as we call him. Chopper was adopted by from a local rescue group that we found while checking out petfinder.com. We contacted the group and were thinking we were going to meet a different teeny little puppy. When we reached the house and talked with the sweet rescue member we found out that we had received directions to the wrong SAFE house. She mentioned that she also had a small litter of puppies, so we went in to take a look. 

We noticed a litter of three little squeakers - all adorable of course, and Chops instantly followed around my boyfriend Andrew.  The poor things had fat bellies full of worms and were rescued from a shelter where they would have been euthanized. Even though we found the wrong house - it was destiny that we found this little disproportional puppy :). The rescue agency assumed his was a little Dachshund  mix, but as he grew & grew - he grew into a beautiful mutt.

Chops has always been full of personality and loves all people. 

When he's not trying to put a ball in your hand (literally), he's curling up on anything that he can fit on. Obviously from the picture to the right, he's curled up and is too big for our old IKEA chair. Chops is definitely the ideal pup - and has a funny way of knowing exactly what you're thinking. The other day when I let him out I said "It's really muddy in the yard, make sure to come in without muddy feet". I was laughing while I watched him follow the patches of snow, out of his normal route around the yard, and came in without touching any mud. We still have no idea 'what' he is, but we do know that he's adorable. He LOVES getting his picture taken as well - there will be many more glamour shots along the way. 

Update

Hello All, 

I'm currently in the boring portion of my business venture :) (boring to write about anyways). I'm currently wrapping up my business plan, and starting on some of my marketing. Do you like my logo & colors? The name BaRKLee is featured on the arm of the beds with a metal tag. The three shapes standing for Dog, Love, BaRKLee will be featured throughout my website, and on tags of accessories like blankets and pillows.

Brody Part Duex :)

Here is Mr. Brody! He is passed out on the first BaRKLee prototype. There will be about 5 little changes coming to this model before it is released for sale, but it's a start! They are simple changes that I think you'll love - and they'll really add to your dogs comfort. BaRKLee beds are ALL about quality, style and comfort. 

2 prototypes to go!

Kandra & Brody

My friend Kandra received my first prototype dog bed for her dog Brody. Brody is a rolling bundle of happy energy and has a interesting history. Brody was somewhat abandoned and malnourished Weimaraner on a farm outside of town. His previous owners were not very nice. Kandra took Brody and went through a lot of work to help him gain weight and return to a healthy state. In return, Brody blossomed and was finally able to show his spirit. He's now 7 years old and still bouncing around like a puppy. He was the perfect candidate to try out BaRKLee bed #1. It's only been a few hours since I dropped the BaRKLee off at Kandras, and already Brody in sleeping in it and loves that he has his own space. I think the test bed passed :)

More to come. Check out the picture here.

Fact Corner: Dreaming Dogs

Scientists say that dogs and humans are 95% identical physically and genetically. If this statement is indeed true, is that why we show similar emotions and share experiences like dreaming? 

When dogs sleep they process all of the new data to store and sort into their memories (much like us). When your dog is growling, flicking his paws, and wagging his tail while taking a snooze he could be reliving part of their past. When they saw that rabbit in the yard and they almost got it! Well - perhaps they dream they finally do - and then they awaken to our laughter as we poke fun at them :)

What do you think your dog dreams about?

Fabrics - Some Crazy, Some Fun, Some Practical

Which fabric do you like? These aren't my real fabrics, 

but they are a few that I've fallen in love with. I'm always

 drawn to the zebra which would obviously make your 

dogs bed a center piece :).

So excited!

My prototype came back and it's amazing. This bed was the biggest one available in my first style, and it has such handy features for washing it and what not. It's light for it's size, and it really just turned out great!

I'm now more motivated than ever to hurry up and get it out there in the market.