[.ca] Animal House Style (ISBN 0821257110)

not what i hoped for:
This is a book about homes that have a pet in them. I wished for a book that was homes where pets were included in the design. Pretty pictures not much use.

Stylish Read for fashion followers:
I should imagine this book is a great hit with the NYC apartment upper income bracket, who have pets as fashion accessories and treat them like animated teddy bears. (Most of the resource references are also in NY). Not that it's not a pleasant read, it's a stylish and entertaining book. It made me feel better about having slip covers on my furniture. The author got of the point at times and did the usual mini-lectures on pets put in shelters and toxic cleaners like the rest of us don't get it, but being politically correct is not the same undertanding the needs of real animals or the people living with them on a daily basis. The author may do work in "rescue" as she claims, but so can anyone. I don't think she understand the needs of real pets living real lives and probably none of the people who love this book do either. The author didn't offer anything I didn't know or hadn't tried (and didn't work). And some of the materials she raves about as coverings, were trashed by my two dogs in one afternoon. White slip covers ("you can wash them") Yeah, about 3 times a day to keep them white if you have a pet who gets on the sofa. Nice glossy coffee table book though.

Pretty, Not Practical.:
Animal House Style is one beautiful coffee table book. But truely, it is only a coffee table book. It has beautiful pictures of pets on beautiful designer furniture. But not the greatest advice for caring for a home with pets. Let's get real here, I have a yellow lab that loves to lounge on my dark gray couch. The advice the author gives for removing pet hair from your couch is to get a strong vacuum cleaner! Um yeah, I would have never thought of that without reading this book! Or you can use a roll of tape to remove pet hair from your clothes! Hmmm, that is truely a new idea! You can tell that Julia Szabo is a true animal lover, and she does have an amazing sense of style. But most of the home decor is way over my price range, like the Gucci bet she got her pit bull. It probebly cost more than my bed! Animal House Style does make you more aware of animal sensativity to house cleaning chemicals and what are good alternatives to your Clorox cleaners. But that is about the only practical advice this book has to offer. If you are looking for a book with some really cute dog picks Animal House Style is a great pick. But if you are looking for viable solutions to living with pets, don't get this book.

Pra-cat-ical and terrier-ific advice:
The perfect gift book, for wedding, housewarming or any occasion, so long as the recipient is a pet owner. They will thank you profusely, for helping them decorate with their kitty or pup in mind. After reading this terrier-ific book, I realized my home is definitely decorated in a style I think of as classically Boston Terrier black and white. The hair blends in perfectly, so who cares? Arlene Millman, author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY (The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier).

FOUR-PAWS UP!!!!!!:
MEOW! The only decorating book I've ever read that treats animals as companions worthy of consideration when making design decisions. If you live with a couple of cool cats and want to recover your sofa, Szabo let's you in on some trade secrets. (Ultrasuede, for instance, is a sure way to discourage scratching.) Beautifully illustrated and intelligently written and reported, the book is filled with tons of useful tips and entertaining anecdotes. Thankfully, the writer always puts pets before possessions but teaches us how to create beautiful living spaces without sacrificing style. Truly enlightened perspective makes this a must read for any animal owner who cares about design and decoration.