Why are we in the removable dog bed cover business? I mean, really, WHO would choose this as a profession? Do little girls grow up thinking: Princess? Doctor? Teacher? Policeman? Dog Bed Cover maker?

But the good news is that sometimes life takes you on great journeys and you end up as a Dog Bed Cover maker. Or in my case, in business with my amazing mom running BarkBed Covers!

My mom was in love with dogs since she was a little girl and she and my dad received a Labrador puppy as an engagement gift. (More on that in another post) They married, started a family and one dog led to two dogs, and one child led to five children and down the road they continued with a great family life.

For as long as I can remember my mom was always volunteering and helping others. It was in my DNA and since I was 10 years old, I was volunteering for one organization or another. After too many Board meetings and way too many PowerPoint presentations, I knew I wanted more hands-on service. A precious blue-jacketed puppy-in-training for the blind walked into my life one day and puppy-raising became my next volunteer calling.

I lied. It became a passion. (Another subject for future posts.)

Through my 10 years of puppy-raising, I learned that my passion was for dogs and the special place they have in our lives and how they make us more human. My senior gal, Libra, has taught me abundant patience and grace and I seek to be more like her. But her health conditions also led to a lot of clean-ups and the need for more patience. I found myself thinking that when she crosses the rainbow bridge I would spend less laundry time on her and have more time for me. I could feel myself resentful of all the extra work I had to do and then I felt guilty for feeling resentful.

Then we came up with BarkBed Covers! I knew if we could make the laundry burden less, we could reduce the guilt and frustration and help senior dog owners feel less resentful. So please – spend a little less time with the dog-laundry and a little more time with the dog-loving!