Monday, November 30, 2009

Project Warm-a-Pup

When we're at work, Yuki is normally left in his outdoor dog run. But with Winter approaching and Yuki getting long in the tooth, I have growing concerns about how much cold the animal can endure. To assist in this matter, I devised a plan to insulate Yuki's dogloo using a blanket, a large staple gun, and some industrial strength velcro.

I plastered half of the velcro all over the underbelly of the dogloo's roof. Then I stuck and stapled the other half of the velcro to one side of a blanket which I had cut in a circle.

I then stuck the blanket onto the interior roof and walls of the dogloo. After the blanket was secured, I cut out a door sized piece of blanket, cut strips in it, and velcroed it into the door.

This is not a pretty job, but it seems like it'll be very warm. My main concern for failure is that the sticky back on the velcro might fail causing the blanket to fall on Yuki's head. This is, however, an acceptable risk.

12 comments:

  1. This doesn't compare to the insulated dog houses Dad has built in the past. Sadly, I had to leave the one he built for me when I left the house in Kearney and moved to that tiny apartment.

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  2. Anonymous9:53 PM

    should keep the animal warmer

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  3. Anonymous3:51 PM

    farm dogs get straw inside their dog houses. They take great pleasure in making a nest that they can fit in. straw is an excellent insulator, and was used in sod houses. try it and your dog will love it. From the farmer.

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  4. Anonymous9:52 PM

    Maybe I should pick up some straw. Right now he has a dog bed and a number of blanket strips inside.

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  5. Anonymous6:13 AM

    What about an experiment with straw for the blog readers ?

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  6. Anonymous2:27 PM

    yes, yes, do the straw...straw soaks up slobber, way better than velcro blankets. Straw also allows for fluffing of the nest. All dogs love to sleep in nests vs curled blankets. Dogs also love to stick their nose under the fluffed straw....then blankets don't fall on their heads.

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  7. Anonymous7:39 PM

    Do you know where a person can buy straw?
    I've only seen it in bales at Halloween time.

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  8. Anonymous2:38 PM

    straw can be purchased at garden centers/ nurseries, grain elevators, farmers coop, and your local farmer. Cost about $2.00 to $5.00 per bale. Maybe just snap up a discarded halloween bale on the corner.

    The farmer

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  9. Anonymous12:04 AM

    Okay, I'll see if I can track down some straw for the animal.

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  10. Anonymous9:11 AM

    Growing up in Michigan, straw served as an excellent insulator for my pet rabbit, Harold. He stayed outside in his hutch year round and took great pleasure in making a nest out of the warm straw.

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  11. Anonymous4:24 PM

    when my partner is mad she heads to the barn and sleeps in the straw

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  12. Anonymous5:56 PM

    I tried to get some straw once, but ended up with hay. Turns out there's a difference.

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