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It's a Dog's Life...Or a Lifeless Dog?

By Leslie Olson

Home Stager with Leslie Olson Interiors

March 05, 2009 03:02 AM

Logo, Leslie Olson Interiors - Home Staging Marin

Skipping merrily through our local MLS listings I stumbled across this delightful MLS photo. While I can appreciate the personalized funky style of this house for sale, I stopped dead in my tracks at the dining room photo...

It's a Dog's Life...Or a Lifeless Dog -- Pet Taxidermy

Apparently I wasn't the only one who stopped dead in their tracks...what's that perched atop the buffet, peering at the dinner guests?

Pet Taxidermy - It's a Dog's Life...or Lifeless Dog?

YIKES!

Portrait, Leslie Olson, Home Stager Marin County

Leslie Olson - ASID, RESA

Leslie Olson Interiors www.leslieolsoninteriors.com leslie@leslieolsoninteriors.com 415.233.2633

Home Staging - Redesign - Interior Design Marin County, California

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Elizabeth Bolton

RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA

Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Leslie - I think that is a riot! I still can't tell - real or fake?

Liz

Mar 05, 2009 03:24 AM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Connie -- Yes, after a long day touring houses we could remember that house with the spectacular view of the mountain...or the one with the beautiful Japanese Garden...or the one with the STUFFED DOG.

Jim -- You're right, it got my attention! And while of course I might suggest a different approach to the homeowner in preparing their house for sale (understatement) I really did enjoy viewing its artistic and ecclectic style. And indeed, it was memorable!

Maureen -- My guess is if it kinda made your skin crawl when you first saw it, it might do the same for potential homebuyers! But hey, as long as it's not on the market you can enjoy personalizing your home in whatever way you'd like. BTW this photo came from the Realtor's site featuring this property (linked in the text).

Thanks for your comments...all in good humor!

Mar 05, 2009 03:27 AM

Diane Daley

Caron's Gateway Real Estate - Northumberland, NH

Can't believe the perch...

Mar 05, 2009 03:27 AM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Liz -- I really couldn't say! I was tempted to go to the open house this past weekend to check it out, even in the torrential rain. But I didn't want to take up the Realtor's time and attention just being a looky-loo.

Mar 05, 2009 03:29 AM

Susan Cunningham

NE Atlanta Home Staging - Suwanee, GA

R.E.VISION - Suwanee, GA

Yes it certainly grabs the attention - but is it the right kind of attention?! ;)

Seen live ones in pics - but that one is a first for me.

Mar 05, 2009 04:16 AM

Sharon Tara

Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH

Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I can't imagine walking into the room and suddenly seeing that! I can't believe that the realtor didn't at the very least choose a different angle to show the room. Not good at all,

Mar 05, 2009 09:57 AM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Diane, Sandi and Sharon -- it's certainly unexpected, isn't it? Kinda goes in the "What's Up With That?" file.

Susan -- Good point! It's consistent with the quirkiness of the rest of the decor (I'm sure this would be a fun person to know!). But after viewing the pictures could you really say too much about the house itself? Sometimes the coolest places in terms of decor upstage the home for sale. But for today we'll just have fun with this...

Mar 05, 2009 10:44 AM

Allegra Dioguardi

Styled and Sold Home Staging and Staging Training - Westhampton Beach, NY

Home Staging & Training, Suffolk Co. Long Island

Perhaps the house is haunted by a dog spirit that only shows up in photos?

(sorry, couldn't resist! I couldn't think of better explanation!)

Mar 05, 2009 10:44 AM

Anne Vigneri

CASA VERO Staging & Redesign - Albuquerque, CA

Serving the Mariposa California

Well,,, being a dog person, I must admit that mine get away with behavior that is not far removed from that... One likes to pop up onto the ktichen counter so he can see me when I'm in the yard.. Sad but true... ( Lord I hope I never have to put my house on the market !!)

Mar 05, 2009 02:00 PM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Allegra -- now that's a scary thought! Next we'll have MLS photos with orbs and shadowy figures...

Anne -- I'm a dog person too, and I'm sure that your dog peering through the kitchen windows is a hoot. But like you I'm partial to dogs with a pulse...and if I'm not mistaken the dog in the picture differs from yours in that it's of the taxidermy variety!

Maureen -- nothing like those sad eyes folowing you as you eat dinner!

Mar 06, 2009 09:00 AM

Cathy Lee

CL Design Services Home Staging - Danville, CA

ASP, IAHSP, RESA Danville, CA

It looks like two birds flying around in the dining room and the dog looks stuffed to me. Holy, Moly! I hope you are going to offer to rescue this place or at least the animals.

Mar 06, 2009 03:00 PM

Annie Pinsker-Brown

Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA

Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

OMG That is hilarious!

Mar 06, 2009 03:11 PM

Kelley Eling

Fathom Realty Group - Sonoma, CA

Realtor Extraordinaire

Maybe the out of area agent is trying to show how pet-friendly Marin County is. :)

Mar 07, 2009 07:13 AM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Cathy, Annie and Kelley -- Maybe we should make a contribution on their behalf to some sort of animal rescue organization!

Mar 07, 2009 07:18 AM

Virginia Tatseos

Stage-Show-Sell - Bloomfield Township, MI

Why of why would a realtor use photos like that. How many buyers will not go into the home because they are afraid the house has a dog running around all over the place?

They don't know it's stuffed. ""m not sure which is the worst. A dead dog that's stuffed or a dog that is not under control

Mar 10, 2009 08:40 AM

Kathleen Lordbock

Keller Williams Realty Professionals - Baxter, MN

Keller Williams Realty Professionals

Oh my this is not good , in fact this is very very bad - hope they call you.

Mar 12, 2009 09:52 AM

Leslie Olson

Leslie Olson Interiors - Austin, TX

Interior Design and Redesign - Moved to Austin!

Thanks for your comments, Virginia and Kathleen!

Virginia -- I take your comments as sincere, seeing the beatiful companion with you in your photo.

Kathleen -- I suspect we've driven up traffic to the realtor's web site the past few days!

Mar 13, 2009 03:36 AM

Ray & Elaine Fischer

(828) Home-Stager.com & (828) Custom-Cabinets.com - Asheville, NC

i remember when i was maybe 15 yrs old and heard my father talk about his friends wife has had all her dead dogs stuffed like that and are in her living room. then i thought it was weird, different, etc. something that i would not do because for me its spooky but that idea has been around for a while and i am 40 something. i am shocked the realtor used that pic and or talk to the owner about removing it because it could blow a sale. i know if i was the buyer looking i would walk out and vomit on her lawn but to each their own. no sale here and i surly would not use that to stage a house.

Mar 14, 2009 05:28 PM

Joanne O'Donnell

Chic Home Interiors - Oakland, CA

Leslie, this reminds me of a staging student I had in Dallas. After my talk about not using dead things in staging she said... But what do I do when the client has a "trophy room"? Being from California I had to have "trophy room" explained to me. She showed me pictures with dead everything - stuffed... I feel a blog coming on...

Mar 17, 2009 06:31 PM

Patsy Overton

Patsy Overton Interiors, Atlanta, Georgia - Duluth, GA

I don't think I'd want to eat anything that had been served from that buffet!

Mar 22, 2009 11:58 PM

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