DIY Network

Introducing Copper From "Barkitecture" episode DBAR-101

Copper is heading home!

This cute dog is named Copper and he needs a good home. For the last two months, he has been in an animal shelter waiting for that one loving family to come along and give him the perfect home. He has finally found them! Before he can start his new life, there is some serious work to be done...including building one cool doghouse. See it all happen in this episode of Barkitecture.

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Copper will certainly not be lacking love.

Copper

Copper is a beautiful golden retriever. He’s very energetic, adorable and adoptable! With the help of the animal rescue, the Crilly family is excited to give Copper a new home. They are a big family, and Copper will be greatly loved.

For their son’s 4H dog project, the Crillys became involved with the Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue which is what led them to Copper.

Dr. Karen Tobias and Kenny Alfonso are on deck to help the transition from shelter to home a little easier on Copper. Dr. Karen will offer some helpful hints and tips for training and take the Crillys out to get pet supplies. Kenny will build Copper a funky and functional doghouse.

This particular shelter receives nearly 100 lost, abandoned or unwanted animals every single day. If you’re thinking of getting a new pet, adoption is the way to go. However, once you choose a pet, most shelters require that they spend one more night at the shelter to receive shots, final check-ups and have them either spayed or neutered.

The design is set.

Doghouse Plans

What will it take to design the perfect doghouse for Copper? Kenny must take into account his size, personality, location and setting. The Crilly’s also need to be able to get inside to clean it. The family has a huge yard where Copper will have plenty of room to play in. With the yard’s wildflowers and wooded area, Kenny decides a log cabin would be perfect. The doghouse will be cozy, rugged and fit Copper’s personality to a ‘T.’

The doghouse should be big enough to allow Copper to turn around, but small enough to retain his body heat. Copper is about 26 inches high at the shoulders and 36 inches long. The overall dimensions of the log cabin will be 28 inches by 40 inches for the interior.

To build the log cabin, Kenny will need landscaping timbers, lap joints for each corner and as for the foundation...nice stone pavers. He will finish it off with a classic looking, removable standing metal roof. This is going to be one stylish doghouse.

Barkitecture Tidbits:

• Golden retrievers are second only to Labrador retrievers as the most popular breed of dog in the country.

• There are over 60,000 golden retrievers registered in the United States.

RESOURCES :

Young-Williams Animal Center
Website: www.knoxpets.org

The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Website: www.aspca.org

Petfinder.com
Website: www.petfinder.com