Mutt Mansion

[BuckeyeDennis]

A few years ago, before I had ever even heard of a ShopSmith, our old lap-dogs moved on to doggy heaven. By then we were very busy raising three human kids, and the wife was vehemently opposed to any more four-legged critters. Until, that is, a large and very hungry stray dog with great big googly-eyes stole her heart.

This was swell with me, as long as the big hairy smelly lunker-dog didn't move into the house with me. But with a bitter-cold Ohio winter approaching, I knew time was short.

So that first winter, I quickly threw together a "hound hut" by duct-taping 2" foam insulation around a fold-up dog crate, put it in the garage, and even installed a thermostatically-controlled "hound heater" from the web in the hut. Stuck it in an empty spot in the garage, and all was well.

But by the next winter, I figured we needed a more permanent arrangement that didn't clutter up my garage. So I used my deck-building skills and some leftover PT lumber to make a platform, made my very first rafter assemblies, processed a bunch of old left-over cedar boards into ship-lap siding (on a purpose-bought router table ), and learned how to install cedar shakes for the new dog house roof. It was thoroughly insulated, I might add, with well-sealed 2" foam on all six sides, and the "hound heater" was permanently mounted and wired. Here are a few pix:

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Not shown, the entire roof is hinged; you can lift it up from one side and prop it up with a purpose-built stick, making it easy to clean and provision. The interior is all paneled in Luan plywood, with some custom-routed cove moldings just for fun.

So after spending a good chunk of the winter building the Mutt Mansion, it turned out that the dog just didn't LIKE that end of the house, right underneath our bedroom window. Too lonely. The dog let us know about it most all night with really loud, mournful blue-tick hound howls. After maybe three sleep-deprived nights, my soft-hearted wife invited the dog into the house to live with us. Dog 1, me 0. But no one has ever questioned my refusal to participate in dog-hair vacuuming chores, and he does make a dandy prewash-cycle for the dishes.

Anyone wanna buy a nice heated dog house?

[fredsheldon]

Where's the cable tv cable? And no door? No wonder he doesn't want to sleep in there You might want to keep it in case you get sent to the dog house if and when you fuss about the dog wanting to sleep in the bed with you.

[dusty]

Mutt needs to spend some time in my dog house. He would then more appreciate what he has going for him. That swanky residence would definitely qualify him for "the foot hills" if he lived here.

[joedw00]

I would think any dog would be proud to call that home.

[JPG]

Either your memory is dim, or yer hearing has gone south.

I doubt it really sounds 'blue tickey'.




Thet black thang ain't no Smokey!!!!:eek:


P.S. Nice house! Not sure the roof trusses are sturdy enough though!:rolleyes:

[BuckeyeDennis]

Where's the cable tv cable? And no door? No wonder he doesn't want to sleep in there You might want to keep it in case you get sent to the dog house if and when you fuss about the dog wanting to sleep in the bed with you.

The Canine Channel isn't available here in Central Ohio, so a TV just seemed like a waste. Got the door situation taken care of though -- the arch over the doorway conceals a clamp board for fastening a door flap in the wintertime. And fortunately, the dog takes turns sleeping with each of the kids. So I guess I'll have to do something naughty so that I can get "sent to the doghouse".

[BuckeyeDennis]

Either your memory is dim, or yer hearing has gone south.]really [/B]sounds 'blue tickey'.

Thet black thang ain't no Smokey!!!!:eek:

P.S. Nice house! Not sure the roof trusses are sturdy enough though!:rolleyes:

Nope, I grew up in coon-hunting country, and I know what a blue-tick hound sounds like. Surprised the heck out of me the first time I heard that sound come out of this dog. But from certain angles, you can see some hound-dog bone structure in his face. One of 57 varieties, I reckon!

And even if it never has to support a 100" snow load, I think that front roof truss looks good! (I added the extra braces to match the design of the kid's store-bought swing-set playhouse).

[camerio]

I had only one dog, made a simple house with isolation inside for the winter.
The dog scratch off all the styro and most of the time he slept on the top of his dog house but never inside.
We lost it a few years back now and we will never have another one. Too messy.

That is a "chef d'oeuvre" as we say in french. A master piece.

[BuckeyeDennis]

I had only one dog, made a simple house with isolation inside for the winter.
The dog scratch off all the styro and most of the time he slept on the top of his dog house but never inside.
We lost it a few years back now and we will never have another one. Too messy.

That is a "chef d'oeuvre" as we say in french. A master piece.

Thank you, that is by far the nicest complement of my budding woodworking career! In French, no less. If only I could speak fluent French, I should have ample opportunities for naughtiness that would land me in the doghouse!

I've flown into Quebec a few times on business, and have had the pleasure of dining in the Old Town. It's one of my favorite cities, along with Charleston SC, San Francisco, and New Orleans.

But speaking of naughtiness, I couldn't help but notice on final approach to Quebec that virtually every back yard sports a swimming pool .. or maybe those are huge hot tubs. And this is way north of Ohio, where private swimming pools are mostly impractical.

So do tell, just what are those hot-blooded French guys up to, up there? I am referring to their woodworking activities, of course.