“My little dachshund slept under this workbench for 14 years. This winter I have to close it for good.” — Why a 69-year-old lamp maker from Minnesota is selling her last Doxie Lamps at a special price, before her workshop goes dark forever.

In a small workshop in Minnesota, Bonnie Harlan has made glowing lamps by hand for almost four decades. Now the 69-year-old is stopping. And she is saying goodbye with the design that means the most to her: the Doxie Lamp – a little dachshund made of colored light. This is the last time it will ever be offered.

Stillwater, October. The little workshop above Main Street smells of paint, warm solder and fresh coffee. Through the tall old windows you can see the St. Croix River. On the shelves stand rows of small dachshunds – some still bare, some already painted in honey, amber and gold, each with one bright turquoise ear. Bonnie leans over one of them, the way she has done every morning since 1988.

Under the workbench lies an old dog bed. It has been empty for three years. “That was Pretzel’s spot,” Bonnie says, without looking up. “He lay there every single day for 14 years. When I worked late, he snored. When I sang along to the radio, he sighed.” She smiles. “I never had the heart to put that bed away.”

The little dog who became a lamp

Bonnie has made more than 17,000 lamps in 37 years. Many people know her for her Kitty Lamps. But the design closest to her heart started with Pretzel.

“After he was gone, the workshop was so quiet,” she says. “So one evening I sat down and made him out of glass colors and light. Long body, short legs, that one silly ear. When I switched it on for the first time, I had to laugh and cry at the same time. It was like he was back in the room.”

She put the little dachshund in the shop window. By the next week, three people had asked for one. Then thirty. Her grandson Tyler gave it a name: the Doxie Lamp.

What makes the Doxie Lamp so special

The Doxie Lamp is small – about 6 inches tall, not much bigger than a coffee mug. But when it is switched on, it changes the whole room.

A warm-white LED sits inside the body. The light shines softly through the amber, honey and gold panels, and the turquoise ear glows like a piece of summer sky. Dark lines frame every panel, just like a church window. The big brown eyes look right at you. It never blinds you – it simply glows.

It plugs into any USB charger or port. A little switch on the cord turns it on and off. No bulbs to change. It stands steady on its four short legs on a nightstand, a windowsill or a bookshelf.

“People tell me it looks just like their own dog”

Bonnie pulls an old cookie tin out from under the workbench. Inside are hundreds of cards and letters. Many of them have a photo tucked inside – a dachshund on a sofa, a dachshund in a sweater, a gray-muzzled dachshund asleep next to the glowing lamp.

She takes out one card. “Dear Bonnie, our Oscar passed away in March. Your Doxie Lamp sits where his bed used to be. Every evening I switch it on and say goodnight to him. Thank you.” Bonnie puts the card back carefully. “That is why I made it,” she says quietly.

Pretzel’s little pack

Over the years, customers kept asking: “Could you make one that looks like my dog?” So Bonnie gave the Doxie a few friends. A sitting Golden Pup with his head held high. A little Chihuahua with big proud ears. And a stocky French Bulldog with a blue nose.

“But the Doxie is still the one everybody falls for first,” Bonnie says. “That’s Pretzel. He always got all the attention.”

The end of an era – and one last chance

“I’m 69,” Bonnie says. “My hands just don’t want to do it anymore. The joints ache, and the fine painting is getting harder every month.” She rubs her fingers. “And there’s no one to take over. It takes years before you really have this work in your hands.”

Just before Christmas, Bonnie will close her workshop for good. Around 480 dog lamps are still on her shelves – most of them Doxies. They are the last ones that will ever pass through her hands.

So she made a decision: a clear special price on every lamp. “It’s not about the money anymore. I want my little dogs to end up with people who love dogs the way I loved Pretzel,” she says. “My grandkids Kayla and Tyler are helping me sell them online. At my age I have no idea how all that internet business works,” she adds with a laugh.

What sets Bonnie’s dog lamps apart:

• Made in Bonnie’s workshop: Every lamp is painted, put together and checked one by one – no conveyor belt.
• Soft, warm-white light: Cozy and gentle on the eyes – perfect as a night light, reading light or evening light.
• Small and steady: About 6 inches tall. Fits on any nightstand, windowsill or shelf.
• Simple to use: Plug it into any USB charger, flip the little switch, done.
• Four breeds: The Doxie, plus the Golden Pup, the Chihuahua and the French Bulldog.
• Limited: Only around 480 lamps left from Bonnie’s final collection. When they’re gone, there will be no more.

What dog lovers say about the Doxie Lamp

• ★★★★★

  “We have two real dachshunds, and now a third one that glows. My husband laughed when he unpacked it – and then he put it on his own nightstand. It really does have that dachshund look.”

  – Debbie H., 58, Columbus, Ohio
• ★★★★★

  “Our Max died last year after 15 years. I bought the Doxie Lamp for the spot where his bed was. Every evening I switch it on. It sounds silly, but it helps.”

  – Carol M., 66, Des Moines, Iowa
• ★★★★★

  “I was worried it would be cheap junk. It isn’t. It stands steady, the light is warm, and the colors are even prettier when it’s on. I ordered the Frenchie for my daughter right after.”

  – Mike K., 52, Knoxville, Tennessee

“The perfect gift for every dog lover”

Her customer Linda M. (48) from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, gave one to her mother. “Mom has had dachshunds all her life. When she unwrapped it, she held it up next to her old boy Rudy and laughed so hard she cried. Now it sits on her windowsill, and every evening she switches it on before bed.”

Where can you buy Bonnie’s Doxie Lamp?

Bonnie’s dog lamps are only available through Cedar & Tin – an online shop for real handwork from selected makers. Her grandkids Kayla and Tyler run Bonnie’s little corner of the shop there. Only there will you get the original Doxie Lamps from her workshop. Similar-looking copies have started to show up on Amazon and other big sites. They may look alike at first glance, but they have nothing to do with Bonnie’s work.

Only this winter – then the lights go out

“By Christmas I’d like every little dog to have found a good home,” Bonnie says. She looks down at the empty dog bed under the bench. “Then I’ll close up. And I think I’ll finally take Pretzel’s bed home with me.”

If you would like one of the original Doxie Lamps – or one of his three friends – don’t wait too long. With the special price, the last lamps are not expected to last.

The verdict

The Doxie Lamp is the lamp dog lovers fall for at first sight. It is small, warm and full of heart – and every evening, when it starts to glow, it feels a little like a good dog is keeping watch over the house. Thank you, Bonnie. And thank you, Pretzel.

Dog lovers everywhere are sending in their photos

• ★★★★★

  “Our dachshund Frankie barked at it the first night. Now he sleeps right under the windowsill where it glows. I think he likes the company.”

  – The Novak family, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• ★★★★★

  “I got the Chihuahua because it looks exactly like my Lola. Same big ears, same attitude. Everyone who visits asks about it.”

  – Maria K., San Antonio, Texas
• ★★★★★

  “Bought the Doxie for my grandma’s 80th. She’s had dachshunds all her life. Now she says she has one again that never needs walking. The neighbors wave at it.”

  – Ashley G., Lexington, Kentucky