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Where the Dogs Live

The easy answer to the question of "where do the dogs live?" is in the house with me.  My husband's answer is "in the dog house, which used to be our house..."  The longer answer can be seen in the pictures on this page.   My dogs own two rooms in my house and have the use of the rest... .  They also have two large runs out the front door where they go to play.  Every corner of my living room as a dog bed and the floor is generally strewn with toys and pig ears, in various stages of eaten.  I am very proud of the combination we have created in giving the fur kids a loving home while making it easy to clean up after them and giving them plenty of room to romp and play inside and out.  Enjoy these pictures, I have enjoyed creating them.

Adult Room

My husband came up with the idea for the shelving units.  We had stuff stored in closets and additional cabinets in both rooms all taking up the floor space.  It was difficult to get to things and we didn't have any floor space for moving around.  We removed the closets in the rooms, and put in these shelf units.  This change has increased my storage and made it all very accessible.  Plus, between the two rooms, I have tripled my previous countertop space.  The counters are a bit high, but I am a tall person so I have really liked them.  I can't believe how much difference it made removing the closets and being able to see and get to all the fabrics and other stuff I have stored makes a huge difference.

 You can see I found a great use for all of those ribbons...
they are stapled to the walls, making a wonderful bright boarder. 

 

Having the washer and dryer in the dog room was a great move.  Most of my laundry is dog laundry and it keeps me from carrying that through the whole house to the washer.  My own laundry stinks less and is definitely less in volume, so I prefer to pack that into the dog room.  I also gained some great storage space overhead and my wonderful hubby found a great deal on the drawers underneath for all the cleaning supplies.

Puppies

Puppies generally are whelped in my bedroom and kept there until they have their first vaccination.  I want them where I can hear them in the night.  I love these whelping pens as they easily fold for storage and I can move the bottom up to the highest level for whelping so I don't kill my back trying to get where I can help momma. Once the puppies are exploring more they spend play time in the front room in this plastic x-pen.  I started using this hard plastic pen for the puppy play times and so far I love it.  It is far easier to keep clean and my puppies are less inclined to learn to climb it.   This is also where my puppies begin their litter box training.  They sleep in the kennel with their momma, and spend playtimes in the pen in the front room where I am working.  Once the have had their vaccinations they will move into the "Puppy Room".  Here they will get kennels of their own for night time and begin going out on the deck for playtime during the day.
I am very excited to finally have a special room for in heat mommas and young puppies.  I have made a huge effort to make this a quiet room where my moms can relax and puppies can calm.  I have packed a lot into the space we have, but I believe that I have come up with the right amount of flexibility for whatever combination of puppies and other activities I may encounter.
The puppies at about 3 months of age (after their last vaccination) will go into these kennels at nights.  They will have a small litter pan in the back side of their kennels for continued litter training.  Once they are able to go through the night successfully and consistently I remove the litter box and they are ready to graduate to the other room.  Each room also has a small refrigerator, and yes... a television... for the dogs you know...
My sewing machines are part of this room allowing me plenty of entertainment making belly bands, bitches britches, swings or hidey houses on those long nights waiting for babies.  This area is completely fenced off so that there is no chance for puppies to have access to any stray pins or the cords of the machines.

We are also well prepared for winter.  We only get about two weeks of snow like this.
The kids just love to play in it.  On those snowy days they spend most of the day in the living room with me in front of the fire while enjoying a pigs ear or ducks feet.  The doggy door is always open and there are plenty of litter pans around for emergencies...

Happiness is... a romp in the snow
 

Where we give our baths

This was actually the result of a midnight nightmare... This is simply a piece of wire shelving connected with hinges to the shower wall.  The chains are support when the shelf is down and allow the shelf to be put up so that I have not lost the use of my guest shower.  The plastic hanging off of the front has two purposes.  It is first a drip barrier so that when I have a wet dog on the shelf I am not spraying water all over the floor.  After we are done with the water I simply flip the mat over the rack and have a more solid surface to do the blow drying.  I have also added a shelf at the foot of the tub for all those miscellaneous shampooing supplies.

This is my "office" area.  During the day with the dogs in the runs and the puppies on the deck you will generally find me at the computer working with my WEB and graphical design business, DesignsWithChristy; adding to my public Pom database, DreaminBoutPeds; maintaining my co-op web space, ToyDogSites; doing a bit of eBay selling; and keeping the books for my husbands business.   I am now  working from home full time and am enjoying being here with my furkids.  Then there is the added benefit of working for myself rather than someone else.  I can't figure out how I ever got anything done when I was working away from home... I am finding it difficult to keep up now that I am home.

The office area is actually in one corner of the living room.  I have a wonderful friend to thank for the amazing office furniture.  He made the desk unit and two credenzas for me to match with my antiques.  The attention to detail here is wonderful and the added scroll accents really ties it in to my other furniture.  He does great kitchen work as well https://kitchensandmorenw.com some of that is on my list for him.  I just love that, from my office, I can look out the door and have such a  wonderful view across the dog runs and toward the creek.

When we bought this property it was because this was the place we always looked for when camping.  THIS is our vacation home and we get to live here all the time.  I really am enjoying having my office in the main part of the house where I can enjoy the fire on a cold day and be closer to the dogs who are just outside the door or under my feet.   This lets me keep a close eye on what might be going on while still getting my work accomplished.
 
Puppy playtime in the living room happens a couple of times a day.   You will see plenty of doggie tunnels and beds scattered around the front room.  Pat keeps telling me that I don't need to send him to the dog house... he already lives in one.  My favorite is the evenings after everyone else has gone to bed.  This is when my babies begin their first explorations, at about 4 weeks, under the watchful eyes of their mommas - and me.
 

I hope that you have enjoyed this peek into my home and the lives of my furkids.
I will always welcome a visit and just love to have my puppies socialized by others.  With my husbands business we often get the children and other ride-alongs that are eager to play just a bit with the dogs, which really helps along the socializing work.  Feel free to come on out for a visit, my house is open to all and the puppies always welcome a romp with someone new.
 

The Breeder  

 I love my little puppy; she makes my house a home.
She is my very sweetest little friend; I never feel alone. 
She makes me smile; She makes me laugh; She fills my heart with  love . . .
Did some person breed her, or did she fall from above? 

I've never been a breeder, never seen life through their eyes;
I hold my little puppy and just sit and criticize.
I've never known their anguish; I've never felt their pain,
the caring of their charges, through snow or wind or rain. 

I've never waited the whole night through for babies to be born,
The stress and trepidation when they're still not there by morn.
The weight of responsibility for this body in my hands,
his darling little baby, who weighs but 60 grams.  

Should you do that instead of this . . . or maybe that was wrong?
Alone you fight and hope, one day, he'll grow up proud and strong.
You pray he'll live to bring great joy to someone else's home.
You know it's all just up to you; you'll fight this fight alone.

  Formula, bottles, heating pads, you've got to get this right,
two-hour feedings for this tiny guy, throughout the day and night.
Within your heart you dread that you will surely lose this fight,
To save this little baby, but God willing . . . you just MIGHT. 

Day one; he's in there fighting; you say a silent prayer.
Day two & three, he's doing well, with lots of love and care.
Day four & five . . . he's still alive; your hopes soar to the heavens.
Day six he slips away again, dies in your hands, day seven. 

You take this little angel, and bury him alone.
With aching heart and burning tears, and an exhausted groan,
You ask yourself, "Why do this? . . . Why suffer through this pain?"
Yet watch the joy your puppies bring, and everything's explained. 

So, when you think of breeders and label them with "Greed,"
Think of all that they endure to fill another's need.
For when you buy your puppy, with your precious dollars part,
You only pay with money . . . while they pay with all their heart. 

.... Author Unknown....

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