The Dog Cave.

There are many joys to having a dog, but the fur, mess and ugly cages are not among them.  We just moved to a new home, so I took the opportunity to design a simple solution that would house the dog's ugly metal cages in our enclosed front porch.  This is our main entrance for guests, so the last thing they want to walk into are two very large dog kennels.  The idea was simple: create a platform that would cover the cages, food and other dog essentials while allowing for air flow.  The other big added benefit is shade from the hot sun in the summer months.  For around $100, I cobbled together 4 planks of reclaimed old growth wood from The Rebuilding Exchange in Chicago and 6 4x4 'legs' from Home Depot.  The result is a much cleaner look and a cool 'cave' for two of our dogs to enjoy.  In the coming months, I will be adding potted herbs on top of the platform, both for our culinary use, but also to combat the doggie smell from our three dogs.