LivingROOF Homes forDogs!

In larger urban cities you’ll find that many buildings offer rooftop gardens for a variety of reasons, but mainly for environmental benefits. The roofs of these buildings incorporate grass or plant life in an area that would be otherwise left as a useless and vacant space. The tops of buildings and houses that have been waterproofed and then are covered by soil, plants or grass with drainage and irrigation systems built in are called “green roofs.”

The “living roof “ was a concept developed centuries ago. There are a number of European countries that promote green roofs such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, to name a few. In fact, for some countries it is encouraged for builders to install green roofs. Although the reasons vary for each country, the main concept remains the same: to keep a sustainable environment. There are quite a few cities in the United States that have taken this concept and applied it to their local buildings. These cities have also offered incentives for builders to apply green roofs to existing buildings and to the new ones being built. With the growing popularity of the green roof concept, why not apply the same idea to a doghouse for our pets?

There are many benefits for having a green roof for your dog’s house, not just for your dog but also for you, especially if you have a backyard garden. Such benefits for your dog includes keeping the doghouse cool in the summer and providing insulation during the winter months. For the environment and your yard, plants and grass can help with any drainage and irrigation issues by absorbing rainwater, it helps clean the air as it filters out pollutants, it creates a natural habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife and it allows those with a green-thumb to express a personal sense of creativity in their own backyard. You can’t get much more green than that!

With some savvy research skills you can find ready-made green rooftop doghouses for sale on your computer that could be delivered right to your door. Although having such backyard luxuries may seem out of reach for some pet owners, there is always an alternative way to obtain your very own custom built green roof doghouse for your beloved pet. By building your very own version of a green roof doghouse, you can keep money in your wallet and enjoy time well spent in the garden and alongside your family dog.

By constructing a doghouse on your own, you have the ability to configure the walls and ceiling to accommodate the size of your pet. This also gives you’re the opportunity to be creative with the overall design of the structure. You’ll need a good quality wood, such as a red cedar, that can withstand the typical weather elements of the northeast. Use only non-toxic products that will maintain the concept of an eco-friendly doghouse but that will provide a safe and healthy environment for your dog. There are many eco-friendly paints or stains, caulking products, and beeswax for waterproofing on the market.

You’ll find the main difference in the build will be with the roof. A typical pitched roof of a doghouse is more difficult to accommodate for a green roof, which would be better flat. Shape the roof deep like a flowerbox, and then slightly slope it. The slope will provide proper drainage for the water to run out. Next, drill a couple of holes on the downside of the sloped roof box so that you can fit bamboo or another natural spout for drain- age. Arrange the spouts so that they stick out a few inches so that the water is able to drain out away from the actual structure of the house itself. Use caulk around where the spout comes out and all around the sides and top of the doghouse. Once that is done, cover the roof with a couple of layers of melted beeswax, or use a similar all-natural product, then add some gravel to help with the drainage.

Before you start planting, paint the doghouse with eco-friendly paints or with a stain color of your choice. Choose a color that will compliment your house, deck, backyard shed, planters you have in the yard or flowers that you have in the garden. Prepare the roof for planting. Cover and glue the roof with a landscape fabric. Cut the landscape fabric so that it’s slightly larger than the size of the roof itself but large enough so that the soil can’t get underneath it. You can now lay down about 4 - 5 inches of a lightweight organic potting mix or planting soil. Be mindful of your dog’s heath and safety by choosing your favorite non-poisonous plants. To see what plants are considered toxic or non-toxic, visit the ASPCA website.

Like any other garden, provide regular garden maintenance to your green roof doghouse. Frequently check for any leakage that may occur, especially after heavy rain or snow and ice melt. Congratulations, you’ve made a beautiful, environmentally safe green haven for your dog and yard. We know that you’ll enjoy the green roof on your pet’s house and so will your pet!

Somany of our local rescue organizations and animal shelters are overwhelmed with homeless dogs that need to find their forever families. This great need is, in many ways, due to the large number of returned pets from animal adoptions that took place at the start of covid-19. People are moving, going back to work, taking vacations, losing their jobs, suffering from either financial and/or medical hardships along with a variety of other reasons causing the uptick in returned dogs to shelters across our state. The combination of the many new dogs routinely coming into the shelters, along with the overwhelming animal surrenders, our local animal shelters and rescue organizations depend greatly on the generosity, love and support from volunteers, donators, and adopters.

To bring awareness about this matter to our pet communities, this issue contains information about some of these animal shelters and rescue organizations. With thanks to the support of dog loving local business owners, Connecticut Dog has put together this editorial feature that will continue to be included in each issue of the magazine going forward where these and additional animal welfare facilities will be featured.

As you turn through the following pages, please be mindful of the animal shelters and rescue organizations located within your own community and think about ways that you can help make a difference in the lives of abandoned, abused, neglected and homeless animals.