Author Topic: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!  (Read 9676 times)

Offline rreegan

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How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« on: January 26, 2008, 03:27:10 pm »
Hi there.  I am new to the list and I hope I qualify...I actually have medium size dogs!!!  Boxers!  Will I qualify, because they make a big dog mess??? 

I was searching the internet for pantrys designed to house dogs too or rooms in the house that are dogs rooms, and came upon this list.  It is great!!!

I have two Boxers, one is a sheep herding boxer, the only one in the US with sheep herding titles, and I mention that only because she is a driven and BUSY girl.  Always "working", so, well, suffice it to say, our home sounds just like all of yours.

BUT, we are in the design stage of a BIG remodel to, you guessed it, accommodate living with our dogs first, and visitors SECOND.  Have you ever wanted to redo your whole home so you could live like a human being, but have your dogs in every room as comfortably as possible for THEM?

Would anyone like to post what they would do to their home if they were redoing it from scratch to make it easier to for your dogs to let you live with them?...LOL!

One area we are having trouble figuring out, is the laundry/dog room.  In reality, my husband (who was the one, 20 years ago, who wanted Boxers, so we have always lived with them) is allergic!  So, he romps with them of course, but has to be pretty diligent about cleaning up or his skin reacts. 

So the reason we are finally remodeling is to get rid of carpets, so he can breath better and install a really good hepa system.  But the issue is having a room that will open out onto a large dog kennel at the side of the house, but that the room will be a place the dogs can come back into for warmth etc., and the room can house a dog fridge (we feed raw) and beds (though they have beds in every other room in the house too, of course) and all their stuff, but...we are thinking the laundry room might be too much in terms of having clothing where they sleep etc. in terms of allergy issues…

We need the room to play double duty in terms of space.  If we ever sell the house, we should be able to call it something other than the dog room!  But I think that is what it is going to be and we will just put laundry hook ups in it now and move the laundry there if we sell.

Anyway, if you were designing your perfect "DOG ONLY" room, what would it include?  Thought it might be fun to dream with this list...Thanks!

 ;D

Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2008, 03:35:37 pm »
Great question!  I would LOVE to have a door to the outside that opens into our laundry room to make it easier to dry the dogs after they go potty in the rain (we live in the NW so it's a very frequent issue for us).  The main thing that I'd love to have though is an elevated dog bathing station in the mud room.  I think that the hot/cold/waste plumbing could later be used by someone else to easily install a shower or at least a laundry tub.

BTW, welcome!!   ;D
Marie

And my pups:
Daisy a 9 y/o Golden/Lab mix
Sammy a 6-7(?) y/o Great Pyrenees adopted 3/07
Cassie a 3 y/o Pyr/Mystery Snuggle Bunny mix adopted 2/07

My angel girls waiting at the Bridge:
Cara 1989-2001 Great Pyrenees
Sally ? - 1993 Dobie(rescued '92)
Halley 2002-2006 Great Pyrenees

Offline mynameislola

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 06:34:16 pm »
The laundry room is one of the few rooms here the dogs are not allowed in because that is where all of the toxic household cleaners are kept locked up.  There is also a clothes line in the room and one good shake of a muddy dog and there would be a mess.  They also do not go in the panty or kitchen much since the food is so tempting.

Our house has eleven exterior doors and several of them are on bedrooms.  Two of the bedrooms, the little dog room and the big dog room, have dog doors built into the people doors leading out to fenced yards.  The house is concrete block and all of the floors are tile or concrete for easy cleanup.  In the summer there are misting systems set up in both yards and in the winter the rooms get heated.

If I were going to do anything to remodel, I would have a floor drain and a faucet in the little dog room since that is where the incontinent dogs wind up. 

Got pictures of that sheep herding boxer?  My dogs would think sheep are bouncy fuzzy toys and try to fetch them back to me.



The canine kids:
     Cody Newfoundland
     Wally Italian Mastiff
     Zita Italian Mastiff
     Sparky Chihuahua

Offline rreegan

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2008, 07:59:00 pm »
I DO have pictures of that sheep herding Boxer of course!  Once I figure out how to post them here, I will!  i sure hope this thred keeps going, as I would love to hear other people's ideas about remodeling for a dog friendly house!

We will have heated concrete floors and places for beds in every room that fit under things or otherwise do not impead the flow of traffic through the room...not they won't plop down whereever they want to, but they do like their beds! ;)

Offline rreegan

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2008, 08:06:33 pm »
Here are a couple of Boxer herding shots...at least I am trying to post them!
« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 08:07:29 pm by rreegan »

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2008, 10:23:21 pm »
I can't afford to remodel anything because I have to pay for air conditioner in the summer and lots of sweat suites for myself in the winter (we keep the house at 58 for Lily's convenience). If I had great funds I would make a winter room for Lily...with trees and snow banks all year long  ;D
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Icerotti

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2008, 11:06:37 pm »
I think that is a great idea to make it into a laundry room if you were to sell. 
My dream dog room would include a walk in tub--like those for the elderly.
It would have raised platforms for beds.

If I had an endless amount of money I would have like a stainless steel walls or something of that durability because we have a weimaraner that will claw and eat the walls if she gets locked in a room....lol  ::)

« Last Edit: January 27, 2008, 12:30:05 pm by Icerotti »

Offline navarre1316

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2008, 04:19:09 am »
This thread is too cool!!!  I was just talking to some friends at work about my "dream" property and business.  BUT as far as the house goes, I would have a sunroom off the back that led to the backyard, one wall would be nothing but windows so the sun could warm the room, concrete/tile floors with a drain in the middle, some elevated dog beds for air circulation and some just on the floor for my skiddish Daphne (who by the way has that same body language as your boxer in the first picture when she's after the cat!).  Crates along one wall and some feeders on the other, built in is a good idea Jenn!!  And a pantry just for that room with nothing but dog stuff!!
God placed me on this earth to accomplish certain tasks...I'm so far behind I'll never die!!

Navarre: GSD 9/13/99-5/14/06 patiently waiting
Issabeaux: GSD 1/27/07
Daphne: Boxer
Stone: Siamese mix

Offline AnnaCrew

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2008, 06:37:33 am »
I already did what I wanted, when we bought the house, and I even had not started my doggy plan... :D So two main things - safety and comfort was in my mind.
All electricity wires are not running on the ground level - I dod oppsite and they are running on the top of the walls with sockets coming down. The lovest sockets are 1 m from the floor level so no puppy even by accident can reach it and get hurt.
Other thing is floors and entrance steps. Entrance steps are large and each step is only 15 cm high, so for my belowed breed hips will be as safe as possible.
The same with floors - In main areas in the house we have brick floors - they are warm at winter, cold in summer, easy to wash - and main thing - they atre not slippery, so in my house any senior dog will have safe and comfortable walking around.

then we have rails for the windows, very simple thing but protect most popular windows from damages and does not allow dog to jump out even if the window is open.

So far that's all, but we do have some other plans to be done before I will get my first saint pup with confirmation future. (I have a dream to become a saint breeder, a GOOD one, so I'm patiently waiting and preparing myself for time when it will be possible).
http://ozolkalni.blogspot.com/
Come and pat Grace athttp://en.uniteddogs.com/dog/16498

Offline karateblossom

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2008, 06:02:44 am »
that's a dream question for me.....but my 14 yo and I have really been hashing out a plan to begin a giant breed foster home since we are rural and so many people here view them as aliens.

A dream remodeling project:

All taracotta tile floors with drains and applicable plumbing. 

GIANT lAUNDRY ROOM  with an open shower and hand held hose for rinsing (this would be the room closest to a 7 ft iron fenced open 1acre lot).

Haz chems would be in a haz chem locked cabinet in giant laundry room.

All walls would be stone or tile and in multi earth and drool colors (gotta hide those SLINGERS).

aLL windows wuld have automatic sun shutters. 

Giant Doggie door.  Built in food canister to hold the massive quantites of doggie food.  a ginormous dog walk in closet stocked with dog stuff.

Mastiff level cabinet so odin can stand erect while eating and drinking.

A small bedroom off the master with no doors that is totally dog friendly!

I wanna win the lottery!

karma is kewl!

Offline iluvmyshepxhusky

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Re: How would YOU Remodel your house just for dogs!
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2008, 09:19:27 pm »
I am so glad im not the only one that if I won the lottery i would make over my house just for my dog!!. and i didn't know that about brick floors.. I was worried about slipping on hard wood. thanks!! ;D
Allison : )