Barkitecture

Dear Dog Lady,

I’m a student at the Boston Architectural Center. While I learn about mullions, muntins and all those precious details of design, I am building a house for my dog Floyd as my first project. Call it “muttitecture” or “bowhaus.” Do you think there’s a fortune to be made in doghouse design? Any idea where I can find some inspiration?

Frank, Watertown, MA

Frank, lucky Floyd will live right, but Dog Lady won’t wager a fortune in muttitectural mini-pads.

Before you realize your Pei-day, Dog Lady calls your attention to creative fundraisers run by animal service organizations. These events are based on "Barkitecture" by Fred Albert, a coffee table tome featuring pictures of imaginative canine chateaux, including a handbag house, a thatched cottage, and a golden-domed hideaway. Click here to see a few: http://www.ivillage.com/pets/dogs/articles/0,,261221_64703,00.html.

A Barkitecture bash was held in March,2004 at the Red Lion Inn in Cohasset, Massachusetts where there was an auction of doghouses created by some of the region’s most talented architects. The audience loved the fanciful display of houses -- "Pugoda" was a favorite while a Victorian dog house was voted most popular. A fanciful multi-use dwelling -- "Doghouse Birdhouse Lighthouse" -- sold for $2000. The event benefited the Hull Seaside Animal Rescue in its effort to build a new shelter. See the doghouses and read the fascinating details of how the architects imagined their mutt manses (click on each picture for a larger view) -- http://www.hsar.org/bark/doghouses.html

When a similar “Barkitecture” event was held last year to benefit the Humane Society of Missouri, the hound hut that captured the most attention was a Piet Mondrian-inspired cubist crate. Other eye-catching designs were a lighthouse called “Bark Harbor” and a Japanese den titled “Doggie Dojo.” Look at the winners: http://www.hsmo.org/contest/

You don't have to be an architect to imagine the whimsical design possibilities of a canine palace. The sky’s the limit since, typically, dog house residents demand little more of their digs than a place to dig.

Posted by Dog Lady at March 8, 2004 12:27 PM