Man’s Best Friend(s) . . . for Dessert

I’M STILL in the butler’s pantry counting the sets of dessert plates: never enough! Maybe because I miss Jeremiah, and because LittleBird Kathy has just lost Buster, I’m drawn to all things canine these days. But I’m ecumenical about four-legged and feathered creatures: Cats, birds, raccoons, whatever, I’m in. Wild boars? Probably best as a sauce over pasta, but in this case you can have one with dessert!

Give the salad course a whole new look with Anthropologie’s Dog-a-Day plates, also available at Nordstrom. Let the (Mountain) Lion lie down with the Beaver or the Rabbit (I didn’t see a lamb) with Dapper Animals dessert plates from West Elm. Pottery Barn’s giddy reindeer appetizer plates are already classics—time to take the plunge?

The best thing? Aside from melting our hearts a little around the edges, these guys, wild or domesticated, don’t have to be lassoed or even walked. And you can let your dinner guests pick their favorite. Apart from you, that is.

—Nancy McKeon

From Haviland, eminent creator of fine Limoges china, come Les Frenchies, a set of four large (9½-inch) dessert plates, showcasing (clockwise from top right) the fierce-looking, beret-wearing Louis; François in his three-piece suit; Charles, the despondent-looking bulldog (French ennui, perhaps?); and Henry, a happy hound wearing a red bowler hat. The set is $260 at Neiman Marcus.

Cats and dogs get along in Rachael Hale’s Glamour Dogs  ($8.99) and Glamour Cats ($7.99) paper cake plates. But just in case, the 9-inch plates are sold separately in packages of 16 at Target.

Designer Sally Muir set herself the goal of drawing one pooch a day for a year. A selection of her faves constitute the four 8½-inch stoneware Dog-a-Day dessert plates shown here (there are more): clockwise from top left, a not-afraid-to-look-goofy Hound (we think he’s Bob from West Virginia), a wary Pug, a wistful Dachshund and a feisty Westie. They are $14 each at Nordstrom or Anthropologie.

Also from Sally Muir is this Dog-a-Day Dachshund Platter. It’s 17 inches long and $42 at Anthropologie.

West Elm clearly doesn’t think the animal kingdom is properly garbed. Hence, Dapper Animals, paintings “dressed and accessorized” by designer Rachel Kozlowski. This quartet includes a Bison dandy, a Beaver, a very feminine Mountain Lion, a Mallard Duck and a wise old Owl (in fact, he kinda looks like an accountant). Each 8½-inch porcelain plate is $10 at West Elm. But there’s more . . .

More Dapper Animals include a Rabbit, a friendly Fox (see how he gazes with “friendly” interest at the Rabbit?), a cocky rooster, a proud Wild Boar and Blue Jay and, at the top, what we think is a sweet Otter (not sure). These 8½-inch porcelain dessert plates are $10 each at West Elm.

LEFT: With “the season” soon upon us, what better to have than some giddy reindeer for guests’ nibbles? The 6½-inch porcelain plates feature Dasher, Dancer, an all-too-obvious Vixen and the inevitable Prancer. The set of four is on sale for $29.50 at Pottery Barn. (A second set of reindeer plates features Santa’s other four-legged helpers.)
RIGHT: This 7½-inch stoneware Cat Figural Plate is cool enough to have a life beyond Halloween. It’s on sale for $6.99 at Pottery Barn.

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MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.