From the back of the rack… I made this dog house for our family beagle Chip (aka, Chipper) way back in the 70’s. It was one of my earliest woodworking projects. At the time this photo was taken, the dog house had seen several years of service – it was starting to fray a bit at the edges – but I never heard Chip complain. Come to think of it, the only time the dog ever made any noise was when he was hot on the trail of a cottontail rabbit.
Chip the beagle lazing the day away in his well-worn doghouse
The main thing I remember about this dog house is that it was heavy as heck and seemingly built to withstand a hurricane. The frame was mostly made from reclaimed 3″ x 4″ telephone pole cross-arms. Attached to this was used wood siding on the outside and left-over interior paneling on the inside. The roof was made from salvaged plywood (see the theme here?) and asphalt shingles. Throw in one recycled pallet for the base and a scrap piece of plywood for the side porch and you have yourself a functional dog house.
To enhance the livability of the house during the winter, insulation was installed in the inner wall space and a strip of carpeting with a slit in the middle was nailed to the top of the entrance. It wasn’t pretty but it got the job done.
Although this house was built in the classic Snoopy style, the slope of the roof was too steep for the dog to lay on top of it – as Snoopy was fond of doing. However, Chip would have had no problem scrambling onto the top of the side porch, if he was so inclined. As I recall, he was mostly inclined just to recline inside the house or in the dirt under the porch. A lazy but likable beagle. He and his dog house are long gone but the fond memories live on…