Dog Yard!
Since I don't actually have a fenced-in yard or anything, I've decided to turn the sheep corral and some outbuildings into dog yards with shelters. I'm thinking it'll be pretty easy. Everything is pretty sturdy, just a few places need to be repaired or some gaps filled in. For the most part, the fence around it is really tall and solid. The buildings are dirty because no one's used them in years, but that's easy enough to fix. One of the buildings is even wired, but I have yet to determine whether the electricity actually works. If not, my father-in-law is an electrician (lucky me!). The only thing I'd really want to plug in would be a heated water dish so their water doesn't freeze in the winter, so it doesn't require much. There's the possibility of heating it, too, if I ever needed to for whatever reason.
This is kind of far from my house, though, so they won't be in it too much... just when we went out, for training, or if lots of people come over. I actually kind of like that it's far away because then I won't hear them if they bark, LOL. Our place is pretty small, so when people come over, it'd be way simpler to just put the pups somewhere where they're not underfoot and then not listen to them barking to come back in.
Plus, having the fenced-in yards would be super useful for training. It's the perfect place for an agility course. Plus, this opens up opportunities for fostering, since there are several yards that are either sectioned off, or could be easily sectioned off (just in case I get a foster that needs to be separated or whatever). Of course, fostering has to wait until I have time, too, but by the time I'm done this, I'll have loads of space for dogs. I'm going to build straw bale dog houses, which are super-insulated. Given all the space, shelter, warm places, and everything, I think it'll be a very comfortable place for pups to hang out when they aren't inside.
I'm really excited!
Anyway, I just made a blog post about this, too, so since I'm lazy, you'll have to go there if you want to see pictures. :-)
link to blog (sorry, don't know how to make it clickable): http://bialingerdog.blogspot.com/
This is kind of far from my house, though, so they won't be in it too much... just when we went out, for training, or if lots of people come over. I actually kind of like that it's far away because then I won't hear them if they bark, LOL. Our place is pretty small, so when people come over, it'd be way simpler to just put the pups somewhere where they're not underfoot and then not listen to them barking to come back in.
Plus, having the fenced-in yards would be super useful for training. It's the perfect place for an agility course. Plus, this opens up opportunities for fostering, since there are several yards that are either sectioned off, or could be easily sectioned off (just in case I get a foster that needs to be separated or whatever). Of course, fostering has to wait until I have time, too, but by the time I'm done this, I'll have loads of space for dogs. I'm going to build straw bale dog houses, which are super-insulated. Given all the space, shelter, warm places, and everything, I think it'll be a very comfortable place for pups to hang out when they aren't inside.
I'm really excited!
Anyway, I just made a blog post about this, too, so since I'm lazy, you'll have to go there if you want to see pictures. :-)
link to blog (sorry, don't know how to make it clickable): http://bialingerdog.blogspot.com/
Comments
I took a look around at what needs doing, then went to the hardware store and got some things. Replacement hinges for gates, nails, screws, wire cutters, a shovel (yeah, I didn't have a shovel, haha), a wrecking bar, wheels for the bottom of some gates... I also got some 6' wire mesh fencing (the fencing guy called it snow fencing). I just called and asked if they had any smallish amount of wire mesh fencing that was sort of tall, and he had an end-of-the-roll piece that was about 15' long, so I took it! I'll use it to complete the easterly portion of fencing, which has gaps large enough for a dog to squeeze through. There is also a gate on the other corral east of this one that has a gate the exact size I need! It will need some mesh attached to it to keep dogs from squeezing through, though.
Heidi, that is a lot of nice open space. *sigh* If I only had some land!
Long story short: we live in 160 acres shared by three families.
I wish I had acres to let the dogs play in...sigh...maybe one day soon.
That is so great that you are able to have a play place for the kids, Im sure they will love it.
Heidi: all kidding aside, I think it's commendable that your husband's family feels close enough to pool resources together to make better lives for each other. My father's family did a similar thing in the Philippines. I'm sure that arrangement isn't common in Western culture.
Jesse