A few years ago I was asked to help out a group who had signed up to make a unique doghouse where I had worked. I was layed-off just 2 weeks earlier at this company. I said okay. This unique doghouse would be at the Houston Dog Show that is the second largest. It would be voted on and auctioned off and the money would benefit C.A.P. (Citizens for Animal Protection) a good group of good folks. What I did not know was the The company signed up for this endeavor 3 months earlier and the group had no construction skills. When I was contacted, there was only a little more than 3 weeks to do the job. To make a long story short, the doghouse won 1st place by a landslide in July 2009, sold for a new record amount. I was able to build it and for one day, the group showed up and painted it and added the finishing touches.  The company was thanked and the photos was in the company newsletter.  C.A.P. was happy with the money that was raised. The new owner was happy because his pugs love to dress up as pirates. Here is the Spanish Galleon Doghouse.

I was asked to make another one for the next year. This time I did it without the sponsorship. My wife had a great idea for a unique doghouse. Here is the Trojan Horse doghouse. It is made from a discarded old cedar fence that was being thrown away.  It was a first place winner and sold for another record. C.A.P. was very happy.  The new owner sent me some photos with the Trojan Horse and her dogs. They looked happy and it was wonderful to get the photos also, it got a ton of good comments when friends visit. She has had it since July 2010.

There are 2 dog house competitions in Houston. There is The Best Little Doghouse in Texas and it takes place during the dog show in July. The other is on a weekend in October there is Barkitecture. They are similar in some ways and way different in others. For both, the unique doghouses are auctioned off to raise money. At the dog show it is for Citizens for Animal Protection (C.A.P.), at Barkitecture the funds raised support The Pup Squad. Both are open to the public. The artist who design, build and buy the materials donate these fine works.

At Barkitecture the main sponsors are some of the top architectural firms in Houston. Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd are awarded to the competing sponsors before the event. At the event the visitors can buy voting tickets for $1.00 each and vote for the peoples and kids choices. So when a doghouse wins, it raised more money too.

So when you go to one of these events, bid high! You get a tax write off, a fine, well-made work of art, the animal group gets more money and the artist feels wonderful that their hard work was appreciated. It’s a win-win for everyone. P.S. send some photos to the artist or the group that held the event, we love that.

This is the Trophy doghouse. It stands about 6′-6″ tall. It is for the doggie with low-esteem. I have never met a dog with a low option of itself. One of the finer design features of the Trophy doghouse is that it can be separated to 3 individual units. The base of the unique doghouse is made from an old cedar fence. The center part is a black cube with 3 draws to keep important papers in. The trophy is made from popular wood with red oak bands. It is finished with a silver metal paint. It is really an armoire that can be used for all of your dogs needs.

Things like bedding, food, medicines, change of clothing whatever. Don’t tell anyone about this, but when you open the doors, the top of the lower sphere, it looks like a solid shelf, but it is easy to remove and there you have a secret hiding space that is the lower sphere and the base of the trophy.

The Trophy doghouse won second place. Now I’m at 3-0. However, the bidding was so very low. the highest was just at $125. So I made the highest bid and made a donation to C.A.P.

I entered it Barkitecture, raised a lot more money for The Pup Squad. I also won the open voting with the people’s choice award. This was October 2011.

This was an interesting project.

Step 1) Determined the O.D. and make some circle disk for the project.
Step 2) Tapered the boards to frame the 3 circles. then you can sand the tapered boards to the proper O.D.
Step 3) Fill the voids. I used an epoxy with crushed stone and glitter.
Step 4) I turned the bowls on the lath. I was a scary thing to do. What I did was turn the lathe on and off so I could use the lower speeds.
Step 5) Just assemble and finish.

Almost any news program shows brave crews rescuing people from the mountains, oceans, floods, fire, and accidents. Animal shelters are also rescuing animals and finding loving homes for them. These good folks naturally fit together; this is the inspiration for the Rescue Helicopter.

This wonderful unique doghouse is made of re-wood. What is re-wood? Well, for many years this wood was a cedar fence. It probably kept a dog in the yard. When I found the wood, it was waiting to be picked up by city heavy-trash collectors. I re-worked and re-finished to re-cycle this discarded fence to re-purpose and re-use the wood.

The helicopter is 7’ long x 56” tall x 31” wide and only weighs 95 pounds. It has several coats of finishing. A solar nightlight sits atop the rotor. I’m estimating 160 hours to design and build. This unique doghouse can be outside or inside.

Again, this doghouse won 1st place at the dog show. Sad to say, but the bidding was low. $100 was an insult. So I made a big donation and entered it in Barkitecture where it won the kids choice award and made some good money for the Pup Squad.

This is just a simple approach to some of the steps to make the Rescue Helicopter.

Step 1) Decide the floor shape.
Step 2) Make some double boards for the frame and landing skid.
Step 3) Start framing.
Step 4) Cut and shape the landing skid.
Step 5) Add the siding.
Step 6) Shape the roof and front.
Step 7) Seal the roof and front.
Step 8) shape the work into a chopper and finish.

This wonderful unique doghouse is again made from an old cedar fence. That is my favorite building material for these projects. In the smokestack, there is a solar-powered multi-colored strobe light that comes on at night. They are normally sold at pool supply stores. The train set on some rail tracts.

The back has a working door for cleaning. It is also large that the kids may want to play inside too.

This won 1st place and got a good amount at the auction.

The tool chest was cut by 2/thirds for the length and the other third was used to make the house wider. It now has a bamboo floor and a cooling plastic roof with plenty of ventilation. The doors for the chest are now on the back of the house to provide easy access.

This one did not win any awards but it did bring in some money for C.A.P.

This is the third life for this dog house.

It started as a cedar fence that was doing its job of protecting the backyard for perhaps 15 or more years. Then it was replaced and I turned the boards into siding and trim.

Then for its second life, it was a tool chest that held and protected supplies for over 3 years as I was helping the restoration work that was being done on a Danish fishing boat at the Holocaust Museum-Houston.

Now for its third life, it will provide shelter for a loving dog.

This year’s unique doghouse is called the Arch. the base is about 4′ x 5′ and the arch is 4′ wide x 3′ tall and 32″ deep. It is open at both ends so it is more shade than enclose. It won Dog’s Choice at the 2017 Houston Dog Show. It (like the others) is made from an old cedar fence. All of the knots and other holes were plugged with an epoxy glue with saw duet added to thicken. then sealed with a deck stain.

This years dog house is called The Getaway. It is 60″ wide, 42″ deep, 54″ and weighs about 120 pounds. tall. It is well vented and very strong. It won the Dog’s Choice this year at the 2018 Houston Dog Show. The kids and dogs had a wonderful time climbing into it. Like the others, an old cedar fence is the main building material. I did have to purchase some deck boards for the floor. There is a large door in the back for cleaning access.

However, the bids were low this year so I bought back and gave CAP a good size check. Went people bid at these fundraising auctions, you should not try to get a low-cost bargain – you should be trying to set a new record. All of the monies raised goes to CAP and helps with the care of the animals.