My Next House Will Be For the Dog
My struggle is real ya’ll…I ADORE my dog so much. This photo is of my girl, Zeela, the Vizsla Pit, and let me tell you, my girl has me wrapped. My sweet pup is still in the “what can I tear up today” phase, which can make designing for her hard. So today, I'm going to share my fantasy world, in which my next house will be for the dog. Drumroll, please... 
Is it a sideboard or a crate? It's both!
Have y'all seen the crates that are also furniture pieces? Every morning I leave Zeela in her crate, because let's be real, she has destroyed our couch and mama don't play. While I personally hate leaving her there all day, I've heard that dogs actually love being in smaller, enclosed spaces. Now I am not a dog expert, but I do care about some aesthetics. And I could see upgrading her current crate to this adorable furniture piece. As an aside, I would also probably have a TV on the wall with Animal Planet playing. 
Staircase nook turned dog kennel
My favorite idea is a little more construction-based. If you have space under the stairs, a built-in kennel is one pretty neat option. Now, I have seen some with small doors, and let’s be honest, if you are going to consider this, make sure you can fit into the door (or at least the smallest responsible person in your home can fit into the door) so that you can get in there to clean! Because let's be real, dogs are not neat freaks. What I love about this option is that it utilizes one of the most awkward dead spaces in a house. And do you see what they did with the matching stair rail? Super cute! Zeela may need that artwork, too.
Custom cabinetry with dog bowls
My sweet girl lets me know when she’s done eating. Her bowl is currently out in the middle of the floor for me to trip over, and I love this design where the bowls are incorporated into the cabinetry. It would probably work best in a mud room or laundry room. Although I would be the one to leave the drawer open and trip over that too. Better yet, train the dog to push the door closed when done. HAHA. (Unless you have really done that, and then I want you to send me a video). As with any design, you have to really consider the pros and cons. Bowls lifted up and away from the floor? Pro. Bowls no longer chewable? Pro. Potential for tripping? Con. But again, for me that seems to be the struggle regardless.
Big Ol’ Bed to share
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sleeping with my girl. She is warm and snugly and doesn’t expect anything just because I scratch her belly. Unfortunately, my husband is not a huge fan. Something about her “getting in the way of our relationship” and yada, yada. Not sure what that means, but anyway. It is very therapeutic to sleep with her, but OCCASIONALLY I wake up with a sore back. In a perfect scenario, I would just suggest my husband to sleep in another room. (Only kidding, honey!) In my perfect world, I would have a bed big enough for us all to sleep with plenty of room. Kind of like this giant bed seen here. Can I get a yaaas?Need some help coming up with design solutions that incorporate your favorite furry friend? I've got you covered. Feel free to give me a shout at hello@catfrenchdesign.com, or post your responses to this post, because I love my Zeela girl, and I love to share design ideas. And, if you are a fellow Pit owner, you should totally check out this book: Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon. Written by one of Team CFD's favorite people, it will make a great last-minute gift idea.Inspiration Images:1., 2. , 3. , 4.