chipmaker
04-23-2005, 03:17 PM
I had a fit a while back when the wife brought home a plastic dog house she bought that cost close to $149.00.........She knew I had always hated those dogloo shelters so at least this one she had bought looks like a small red barn, but not good enough for what the price was. Well we have been letting the Spitz use it for a shelter since she likes stayi8ng outside more than inside, and we have her in a run of approximately 12 feet x 25 feet in the coner of the yard, along with a nice big 9' umbrella over this dog house for shade, and she love sit. Well the 4 little dachshunds will melt if they get wet when it rains, (According to the wife anyhow) so she has been looking for another dog house for them to get into, so we don't have to keep letting them in and out of the house when a shower comes up....So I had a plastic 55 gal drum with the end cut out I put in the yard for them to get into when it rained, but they refused to go in it, and would get soaked.....SO the wife was back on the other dog house kick again. So I took that same 55 gal drum, made a nice doorway that fit inside the end of the drum, and made the door way with an arch top, and sealed it fast. I put in a floor so the bottom is not rounded, and added a base made of cedar wood to hold drum from rolling, and also added a cedar board front porch of approx 36" x 30 inches to it in front of the door. I figured what the heck, I'll add a pitched roof and get rid of the drum look, which I did. I had acquired a heap of all kinds of pastics etc awhile back, and used some expanded nitrogen bubble polypropylene for the floor (insulative value with nitrogen bubbles in it and easy to clean) made the door way out of a polyester boad similar to what the built in shower enclosures and such are made of but this stuff is a full 3/4" thick, and its white colored as well. The roof is made of the same material as the door way but its 1/2" thick.. I cut three 1 1/2" diam holes directly under the pitched roof n the barrel so it has ventilation out the top into the "attic" aabove the drum and exits out the front of the pitched roof, which is also extended out over a portion of the front porch. Installed some wall to wall outdoor carpeting as well. Now you can't get those little spoiled fur babies out of it. They set or lay on that cedar board front porch and sun themselves, and curl up inside and snooze in the shade.....Talk about spoiled brats........Guess a plain jane 55 gal drum was not good enough for their image or something.......
I did run into one problem with it though. I no sooner had it outside than a lot of squalling started. I went out to see what was going on, and that bnig olod German shepherd of ours was up inside this drum along with the little ones, and it was packed full.....Ever see a 55 gal drum full of dogs? Why the GSD decided to crawl into it is beyond me, must be a dog thing, but the doorway is only 11 inches wide and 12 1/2 inches tall, and its under the roof as well, and yet that GSD managed to get in there with them. Normally the GSD could care less about rain, as she sleeps on the patio in a downpour and even hail, and weather never has bothered her......Anywayt the little spoiled fur babies are happy campers now with their new shelter outside. NOw th wife wants me to add a low voltage light outside of it, and may put one inside for them....duh! it never ends with these little spoiled miniature dachshunds......
I did run into one problem with it though. I no sooner had it outside than a lot of squalling started. I went out to see what was going on, and that bnig olod German shepherd of ours was up inside this drum along with the little ones, and it was packed full.....Ever see a 55 gal drum full of dogs? Why the GSD decided to crawl into it is beyond me, must be a dog thing, but the doorway is only 11 inches wide and 12 1/2 inches tall, and its under the roof as well, and yet that GSD managed to get in there with them. Normally the GSD could care less about rain, as she sleeps on the patio in a downpour and even hail, and weather never has bothered her......Anywayt the little spoiled fur babies are happy campers now with their new shelter outside. NOw th wife wants me to add a low voltage light outside of it, and may put one inside for them....duh! it never ends with these little spoiled miniature dachshunds......