Look: Stylish Pet Alternatives! Austin

Okay so that title's a bit of an exaggeration: there aren’t really any inanimate objects that could be suitable substitutes for man’s best friend (or other living and breathing pets). But if your living situation or your schedule isn't conducive to having a pet (and you miss having an animal around the house), you might be able to gain some pet-like comfort from these items we've rounded up. You'll definitely find great gift ideas for pet-loving friends! Some of these items can even be cuddled...

These nine adorable home decor products are sure to bring a smile to your face and great style to your space---without all the shedding. A few are old favorites, some are new loves and all of them are cute as a button! We've even added a healthy dose of items available at local Austin resources!

Pillow Pillow Pillow by Aaron Stewart (Available at local store IF+D)
Fauna Bunny Pillow $28
Twinkle Living Milan Rug $125
Birdhouse by Tamar Mogendorff $150 (available at local store Finch)
OFFI My Pet Lamp Dachshund $59
Frog Pillows by Etsy seller Lolly $25
Romp's Sculpted Wooden Animals $20-$36
Vinyl wall stickers by Etsy seller Elephannie (local to Austin!)
Zid Zid's Mini Poof Monkey $78

Have you ever lived in an apartment that didn't allow pets or just been too busy to consider adding a furry friend to your family? Tell us how you coped living without a pet (even if it didn't include buying a cute dog-shaped pillow) and if you managed to get your pet fix through other ways!

As a life-long dog lover no inanimate object could ever replace my living, breathing furbabies, but those pillows are very adorable! Wouldn't it be cool if they made those dog lamps in different breeds?!

posted by Monica on September 5th 2008 at 7:42am
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Ha! Or, like this news story suggest, you could get a robot dog and get the some of the same benefits as a real dog!

posted by Jose A on September 5th 2008 at 7:44am
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I "coped" for years by obsessively searching for cute dog pictures online. Now i've had my dog for 4 years, and last night i picked up his portrat that i had comissioned (makes me feel like a crazy person, but the artist did it as a favor).

So now i have a real dog, and dogs as decor.

posted by DahliaCactus on September 5th 2008 at 8:23am
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I have this stuffed fox that I've had since I was a baby and it's so gorgeous for a toy and so sweet looking and I associate it with that show "David The Gnome" and even named it after the big fox "Swift" on there. He brings some cute animalness into my life and I can give him a quick squeeze whenever I'm missing having a dog or what have you.

I also stalk petfinder.com and other places looking for my dream doggy.

And I love when people have their pets out in public. I went by the hardware store yesterday and somebody had their itty bitty dog in the shopping cart. It was so cute.

I would definitely buy a couple of these pillows to add some cuteness to my apartment.

posted by Avinony on September 5th 2008 at 8:54am
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hehe i love it all. anything animal related, i'm a sucker.

@Avinony-I LOVE David the Gnome.. such a classic show!! :)

posted by animalhouze on September 5th 2008 at 9:38am
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awwww. sweet post and lovely items!

posted by *heather leaf* on September 5th 2008 at 3:50pm
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I've been looking for a ceramic dog, that would be almost-lifesize that I could paint white and put into my fireplace...(it sounds crazy, but I saw a photo of a porcelain rabbit in a nonworking fireplace and it looked totally cute!)

posted by Lilli K. on September 5th 2008 at 4:17pm
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This set of dachshund pillows from nakeddecor on etsy is amusing: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12761873

posted by bemyescape on September 6th 2008 at 5:44am
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If anybody buys one of these pillows, I'll take care of it for you when you go out of town for $25/day.

posted by penuckle on September 8th 2008 at 9:20am
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yeah love it. i love dog art. this is my latest obsession: http://www.amyturnerstudio.com/home.htm.... WOOD GRAIN DOG PORTRAITS!!!

posted by googiepopuluxe on September 8th 2008 at 1:33pm
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