Yards make for happy dogs, and their person!

Since my home is on wheels, and where we are is only temporary, I decided not to invest my hard earned (and sparse ) money and time on a fence. So, as I often have to lately, I improvised.

4 years ago I saw a super deal on a used dog kennel. A 4 paneled 6 foot high x 10 foot wide chain link dog kennel, including a swing door. Like this...

I didn't buy it for my dogs...there was no rhyme or reason, ( I can be dangerous at flea markets ) it was just such a damn good deal! I have a lot of friends with dogs and thought one of them could use it somewhere along their way. But no one ever did, so it just leaned against a shed from day 1. 

Until I got busy yesterday and *made* a yard! The panel with the door started from the front side of the trailer, went out 10 feet, and the other 3 went down the side and I *borrowed* a gate to close it off on the opposite side at the back. Within a couple of days I hope to use the lumber I have and build a 10 foot panel along the back and that will gain an extra 120 square feet. Sweet!

Before this the dogs had to go round back of our sardine can and into a penned off kennel behind the house whose driveway we are parked in. ( wow, that was quite a run on sentence! I'm not fixing it though, because I'm lazy like that ) 

The best part about this new yard, according to the dogs, is that they can come and go at will. The door to inside is always open when they are out.. 

Look at what I can do...I can go out, and I can go in when I want!

Or at least till it's wicked cold outdoors again. The second best part for all of us, and I think I can speak for the dogs this time, is that I too have room to sit out with them! I have already put my small table and chair out there under a small Maple tree. 

But, it's still basically a dog yard, which means grass will never grow. So I figure about 6-8 bags of white wood shavings like this ( 8 cubic feet per )

and it will be great! The only down side to the shavings is that the dogs track it in. But, it's easier to clean than the mud and dust they would track in without it. This amount of shavings will make it about six inches high, the yard will never be muddy and it's soft enough for the dogs to pick out spots to snooze in, if they wish to. 

I had the same height amount in the pen, cleaned it as they pooped and once a month would take out an inch of the shavings and throw them in the compost next door. When it got down to two inches I raked it up and replaced it with another fresh 6 inches; it's the perfect solution to a very small  yard with the huge potential for a mud wallow. 

It's a small yard, but it's our yard.

Oh Hi Henry!

                                                                   

I hope everyone enjoys today! I'll be spending it revamping this blog...it's just a wee bit cluttered, and it's something I enjoy doing. See ya's!