Life with pets. They frustrate you, and they make things messy. But you can’t help loving them anyway.
I’ve spent years DIYing with the world’s greatest sidekick, who likes to be in on the action at all times (even when I’m on a ladder or using an air compressor). Even so, I pause whenever I see a cool idea to make Charlie feel more at home in the middle of chaos.
I have a long list of favorite ideas for pet-friendly home features, but these are at the top.
Pet Feeder
I used to think having a fancy food bowl setup was one of those nice-to-have things that I would get around to making eventually. This was one of the more impactful tweaks I made this past year, and it really changed some of the everyday annoyances I’d been dealing with for years.
Charlie had a long-standing habit of constantly flipping over her food bowl before eating. I hated the way stray bits of food would wind up scattered across my floor in the process. But once I built her a food bowl stand that also fit my design style, the house was so much cleaner.
It was like, boom! She stopped flipping, and I stopped flipping out. There are lots of DIY feeder options out there. They can suspend from the wall, have food storage below the bowls, or just look nice in the kitchen.
Outdoor Lounger
I filled in my backyard this past year and now have lots of DIY outdoor projects on my task list. I’m adding one more.
Upgraded Gates
I used a retractable baby gate when Charlie was a pup. It was useful to help train her, but not all that aesthetically pleasing.
I’d rather have had something that suits my style a little more, like this gorgeous custom-designed gate over at the “Yellow Brick Home” blog. Unfortunately, Charlie’s a little too big to be deterred by a gate anymore, but this would still be a great build for owners with small pets.
Dog Beds
Charlie has a bed of some sort in virtually every room of my house. She likes to follow me around. And I like to have a place where she can be both comfortable and out of the way.
Still, though, why do dog beds have to be so ugly? I like the idea of making them more tied into furniture, such as with an ottoman or side table. That’s pretty much what Mindi from the “MyLove2Create” blog did with an old crib turned dog crate.
That wooden top is perfect for making it look like the rest of the furniture in her home.
Ultimately, it’s important to me to make Charlie feel just as at home in our shared space as I do. While some design choices are made just for me, taking her needs into account can help us both. There’s less clutter, fewer messes to clean up, and a house that can still be beautiful while addressing my biggest pain points of dog ownership.
Win-win is always better, right?
Related: Outdoor Features Your Dog Will Love — and That Add Value, Too