Pet’s Place: A DIY Doghouse Blends Into This Home’s Decor
An Alabama couple builds an indoor farmhouse-chic abode for their friendly Brittany spaniel
Brenna Malmberg
February 5, 2018
Photos from Danielle Whisenhunt
Pet at a Glance
Pet: Tucker, a Brittany spaniel
Age: 5
Location: Florence, Alabama
Owners: Kenneth and Danielle Whisenhunt
Meet Tucker. He’s loyal to his people, Kenneth and Danielle Whisenhunt, and could spend all day lazing around on the floor or the couch. But at the hint of adventure, he’ll jump to his feet to join you for a car ride or a walk.
Pet at a Glance
Pet: Tucker, a Brittany spaniel
Age: 5
Location: Florence, Alabama
Owners: Kenneth and Danielle Whisenhunt
Meet Tucker. He’s loyal to his people, Kenneth and Danielle Whisenhunt, and could spend all day lazing around on the floor or the couch. But at the hint of adventure, he’ll jump to his feet to join you for a car ride or a walk.
Custom doghouse. Down in the media room, Tucker has his own space: a custom-built doghouse.
When he was a puppy, he had a small bed, but it looked awkward in the farmhouse-chic room. Eventually, Danielle found herself avoiding that room when it came time to take photos of her DIY projects and home decor. “So I wanted to create a space that would be fun to show off,” she says. She’d seen lots of cute kids’ playhouses online and thought, “Well, why not for Tucker?”
When he was a puppy, he had a small bed, but it looked awkward in the farmhouse-chic room. Eventually, Danielle found herself avoiding that room when it came time to take photos of her DIY projects and home decor. “So I wanted to create a space that would be fun to show off,” she says. She’d seen lots of cute kids’ playhouses online and thought, “Well, why not for Tucker?”
Danielle and her husband, an electrical engineer, got to work building a new dog area in the media room. They knew they wanted it to have built-in storage for toys and food, windows with window boxes and a design that would allow them to decorate it for the seasons and holidays.
In the end, they used 2-by-2-inch boards for the frame and then overlapped plywood to give the doghouse a shingled look. On the sides, they overlapped thinner pieces of plywood (painted white) to create a siding effect. The windows, shutters and plant boxes were all created with wood leftover from other DIY projects around the house.
The doghouse, complete with a bed, has become a common place to find Tucker.
If you think your pet would enjoy something similar, Danielle says, “do what works for you, your dog and your house and not what you think is expected.” That’s what they did, and they couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
If you think your pet would enjoy something similar, Danielle says, “do what works for you, your dog and your house and not what you think is expected.” That’s what they did, and they couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
House rules. When the couple first brought Tucker home, they tried to keep him off the furniture. But in the middle of the night, he’d always find his way up to a cozy spot, like the bed or the couch.
They decided it was easier to just keep him out of specific areas by shutting doors.
Love seat: Ashley HomeStore; coffee table: Goodwill for $8, refinished by homeowner
They decided it was easier to just keep him out of specific areas by shutting doors.
Love seat: Ashley HomeStore; coffee table: Goodwill for $8, refinished by homeowner
Life with a big dog. As Tucker got older, the Whisenhunts quickly learned that he loved food and would do anything to reach it. “Once we discovered his obsession with food, and to not underestimate how long those paws could reach, we had to make a habit of keeping food out of paw’s reach,” Danielle says. “It honestly didn’t matter where it was — in the sink, in the trash can, on our plate — he is determined.”
To stop Tucker from digging in the trash and making a mess, they built a wooden trash bin with a lid that he can’t lift.
To stop Tucker from digging in the trash and making a mess, they built a wooden trash bin with a lid that he can’t lift.
On the job. Danielle runs her home and crochet decor business from home, and Tucker is always by her side. “Tucker loves to sit next to me on the couch while I work on crochet items for my shop, and rarely wants to leave my side unless someone walks by our house and he needs to bark at them,” she says.
Part of Danielle’s business requires photos of her pieces, and Tucker always seems to end up in frame. “He will do just about anything for a treat,” Danielle says.
Favorite part of the day. Tucker can’t wait for Kenneth to get home from work. He’s excited the second he hears him.
Otherwise, Tucker spends his day napping around the house — never too far from Danielle.
If he does get up, it’s to chase a fly, go for a car ride or play with a toy. “We always love seeing his excitement when we bring him a new toy home,” Danielle says. “We always let him nose through the shopping bags and find it.”
Entry table: DIY from salvaged wood by homeowners; entry mirror: HomeGoods
If he does get up, it’s to chase a fly, go for a car ride or play with a toy. “We always love seeing his excitement when we bring him a new toy home,” Danielle says. “We always let him nose through the shopping bags and find it.”
Entry table: DIY from salvaged wood by homeowners; entry mirror: HomeGoods
Home, sweet home. “Just having him here makes our home feel completely different,” Danielle says. “Even if he’s gone for a short amount of time getting groomed, it feels like a piece of home is missing. He is definitely our first child.”
But he won’t be the only “child” for long. The Whisenhunts are expecting a baby girl this spring.
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But he won’t be the only “child” for long. The Whisenhunts are expecting a baby girl this spring.
More
Basset Hound-Inspired Powder Room
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I love that Houzz includes pet stories.
Love him and his pink little nose. ❤️
I had written on here before that we were taking an old farm table and making a bench with a place on the bottom for our dogs to sleep. Scratch that. We decided to use it as a coffee table but did come up with something else that my husband built. We wanted to make our mudroom less cluttered looking because people enter our house that way so we built a bench on a wall that the dogs could sleep under and if we sell the house people can use it for storage too with baskets underneath.