Love how you all brought "family" of all types into your spaces.

We no longer have pets (Jillian the Speckled Dog passed in February) and it'll be a while before another joins us in the house.

(Now I may sneak a hen or two out back, maybe even a non-wild bunny.)

I'm in the middle of designing new home. I have 3 indoor/outdoor cats, and they will play a significant part in K design which is the primary place where they eat. About 2 years ago I was doing dishes at sink that has window view and in the corner of the window I saw one of my cats moving and bobbing here head to get my attention. I think both of us were a bit surprised to "encounter" each other in that manner. I have a low sliding window in the adjacent DR and when I opened it she immediately ran down the short hill and came in that window. In short order the other two cats have learned the same way to play and communicate with me.

In my new home the K windows will be nearly 7' off of ground level, but am planning on making a catwalk window sill that could access from a staircase deck-landing and then on up to the catwalk and hence be able to do a similar thing in their new home but would come in onto a counter top so will need to learn even more about hot things. I am also considering making a passage-way tunnel from the back end of an under-stairs storage area that would loop around to the Laundry-Pantry so that they have some more interesting things to explore within the home.

I'll enjoy reading other people's posts in this wonderful thread.

Terri_PacNW - I'm so sorry for your loss.

Like many of you, I've lost beloved pets. Each one has left a little furry hole in my heart. But...love is boundless, and as long as animals need a safe and loving home, I will start all over again. My current cats will never be Luther, Cosmo, Bunny, Jack, Sparky...you get the idea. But they are their own sweet unique selves. I can't even imagine being without a pet.

We are almost finished our kitchen design, and my designer has labeled our island "sink side" and "kitty side", so I guess the answer is YES! The kitty side will have a 33" x 15" overhang. In that area there will be an electrical outlet for his water fountain plus his kibble dish. One of the drawers adjacent to the overhang is designated for his food and treats.

Lavender Lass, while the kids (19 & 21) want another dog I don't want one right now. Our schedules are too crazy right now and the main responsibility would fall to DH and I which I would find too stressful.

To show we thought of the cat too in our remodeling. Here is a photo of the extra deep window ledge DH built her.

debrak, what a perfect perch for a kitty. Pretty perfect view too.

LOL, jerzeegirl! Same here! Sink had to fit dog is partly why I chose a low divide sink. I measured up to Winnie's tummy.

Debrak, my cats would adore that window ledge. Your kitty must be on it constantly.

@rebunky - 2 out of 3 of my parents' dogs are chronic couch cushion squashers. The bigger one is 45lbs so she leaves quite a dent ;)

Yes of course! I designated a run of cabinet just for my dogs. It keeps their food, feeding bowls and water bowl. Medicine, toys and othe doggie stuff are stored in the drawers.

And let's not forget the doggie shower that was built before the kitchen got renovated. As everyone said, our pets are our family. They need shower and kitchen just like humans do

flysonic, your dog's shower is nicer than mine. Love that tile.

What a great thread - it definitely made my evening. My dear late Otto photobombed most of my reveal / kitchen pictures, and I loved it:)

If you'll permit the repeat, here was our xmas card with Otto a few years back (caption: Feliz Naughty Dog). Definitely a play on the strong feelings evoked by the forum regarding certain pets (ahem-ya'll know who you are!) on the countertops. (I'm still planning a 'sponges' version).

Terri, this one is for you - pre renovation, when the chickens were required fashion accouturements.

We've had a rather dreadful weekend - Gunner ended up with a scary Gastro Intestinal whats-it and has spent the weekend in the hospital. Crazy but this was taken 15 minutes ago - live streaming video visits, and he's recovering from surgery, so zonked out (no sound, one-way). Still, rather neat!

Poor little honey - he's only 4.5 months and will hopefully be home tomorrow or Tuesday. Keep those pet pictures coming, please!!

Ok, I just had to "like" every single post on this thread. (Hope I didn't miss any) Our pets are definately part of the pack...Or should I say....FAM!

All of our window sills are very deep because of the ICF construction. Our cat is in heaven!

This is my little guy--14 years old now! He did not represent a design constraint, as he looks great with everything. ;-) It's so lovely seeing all these pet pictures. Perfect timing, as I'm feeling very Monday morning at the moment.

I planned a cabinet for an ice cream pail of dog food (the large bag is in a can in the garage), as well as treats, brushes, etc. I think he matches the counter pretty well.

I should add that even though she has her spot for with her bed that is a nice den for her she does prefer to be in our nice functionally roomy (thank you GW) kitchen aisles when I am in there. You never know when the opportunity for food fall out may occur.

Let's try that picture again- Thanks, LL!

Liza Jane (cat) and Daisy tolerating each other trying to keep warm.

Yes! space for cats and dogs is paramount in my house. I have a dining room area that is all about the pets. And a cat tree for each cat. kitchen is too small for them to eat there. Tango the kitten is upstairs. The other cat Juliette, has her own space downstairs with my son. She was horribly abused by my other cat who passed away this year. :( So she packed up her kitty food and moved downstairs. My son and Juliette are perfect for each other as she can cuddle with him any time. She always wanted to be carried around and to sleep on us, but DH and I never stay still for long. I Miss Romeo and all my pets who are gone.

Tango 3 months old born April 9th 2015, lying on Ms. Staypuff my favourite hot pink winter coat. :) Or it was mine. hopefully I get it back this winter...

Ginny, thanks for your kind thoughts..OB2B...are you kidding me..chicken on the sofa...my husband would kill me! lol...But I do want some ladies in the near future. I was looking on CL and there's been explosion of bunnies as well chicks. (I've always wanted a pet bunny.)

Like Debra, we too have picked up our pace with the kids growing older and moving on. It was such a struggle in January when we were planning on going to meet our new grand daughter arriving in mid-late February, what to do with Jillian's care. As an aged, nearly deaf and often un-friendly demeanor to "not family" we were nervous of what to do. She took care of that choice for us, about a week before Baby Diva was born.

Now we are able to come and go for visits to our #1 son and DIL's for the weekend, we'll be able to head SE across the state to visit our #2 son and GF at school. We'll be able to head to NC to see our second grand child from husbands #2 son when he/she arrives after the first of the year.

So while it was hard to loose our pet of 14 years, it's the right time in our life to be pet free.

Mermanmike...I love that very hairy friend you have.. Not that they all aren't adorable..but my first dog as a child looked very much like your friend..so he really warms my heart.

Our Bingo, also a rescue, doesn't match our new kitchen as well as in our old home. The major thing we did for him when building this home was incorporating his crate into our 'mud nook'. He loves his room and I love not looking at a wire crate. My DB did the work. Still need to get a cushion for the bench.

So many lovely pets in this thread!

OB2B- I hope gunner fully recovers!

So this isn't a pet but my kids noticed this tiny guy on the fence by the pool and I had to snap a pic.

Isn't he cute?

These are all cute!

I have cats and plan to have a herding dog when I move.

I planned for one cat litter pan under the moveable laundry room table I'll be installing. The rest of the litter and pans will be down in the basement. The planned greenhouse off the basement will be a zone (think, air-lock) that will keep the cats from escaping outdoors (where there are many coyotes looking for snacks).

Love this thread! Here is the feeding and water station for my boys, Barney and Homer.

Life without pets would be so lonely! Dog hair is a fact of our happy life together.

The sanity saver in our home:

Homer blends beautifully with the sofa.

Barney enjoys a moment on one of the former sofa cushions which have been great dog beds.

Both of these handsome men are rescues and I love them so much!

To all of you who have lost beloved friends, please know that we all send you hugs and sympathy, and wishes for new furry friends.

loveswindowsanddogs, your boys are adorable and I love your home, esp. the rug in the living room. It's very beautiful.

I'd love to have a second sink to wash my pup without bringing him into the kitchen and a space to keep his food that's around but outside of peoples way.

rebunky - I feel your pain. You can tell which sofa is at home and which still has some shape to it at grandmas house. Love your jacks!

All precious kitties and pups! They add so much to our lives. I posted this on the building forum last year.

Building for the Dog

Because, of course, it's all about the dog! So far, his wish list includes:

1. Dog door, so I can go outside whenever I want.

2. Fenced back yard, with a tall fence that doesn't obscure my view of wildlife around the creek or other dogs on the trail, but will keep other critters out of MY yard. Those moose are big!

3. Tiled entry and utility areas, because tile is cool to lie on.

4. Full length sidelights at the front door, so I can keep an eye out for the UPS guy. Someday it's going to be a package for me.

5. Window seats, comfortable to lounge on and watch the world go by.

6. My own couch to sprawl out on, should be a full sized people couch in the living area conversational area, preferably backing up to a window. Sometimes it's nice to lounge with my head on the back of the couch watching the birds and squirrels. I want to be near my people, but not on the same couch -- I need my space and don't trust them not to steal my bones that I hide in the cushions.

7. Handy hooks for leashes in the mud room and nearby drawer storage for my poop bags and Dad's bear spray. Also a bench for Dad to sit on while he is putting on his shoes. Might as well add hooks for Mom and Dad's coats, so that it will be easier to take me on a walk.

8. A man door in the garage to make it easy to go out with Dad on walks.

9. A king sized bed in the master, so that there is enough room for mom and dad and ME!

10. A view of the bed from the cool tile of the bathroom, so I can keep an eye on Mom and Dad when the bed gets too hot with all my fur. Who knows when they might want to get a bedtime snack and I wants to be sure they don't forget about me!

11. One level living, including outside access. I don't need it now, but I remember the problems my sister had in her later years.

12. A wide enough kitchen aisle so I can hang around for any droppings without tripping Mom.

13. A handy place for my food and water bowls, for those times when I can't eat with the people or when someone is using my 'other water bowls'. Why don't they just go outside?

14. A convenient obvious treat storage area. A refrigerator to keep my weinie treats fresh, a microwave to warm them, and an oven to bake my special pumpkin peanut butter cookies. May as well add a sink and dishwasher to clean my dishes.

15. A dog bath. (Ok, I really don't need a bath but if they insist on bathing me, I want my own bath).

16. A club type chair to curl up in, sometimes instead of sprawling, I like to feel cocooned.

17. Ceiling fans, lots and lots of ceiling fans -- so what if Mom doesn't like them, Dad and I love ceiling fans.

18. Plug ins for a box fan on the floor for after a hot walk (I really, really like fans!).

19. Pet friendly, central vac to fill up with clumps of my beautiful fur.

20. Most of all, I want Mom and Dad to build me a house in the Rockies where there is lots of snow and even the summer nights are cool. I've even picked the town -- it was chosen as DogTownUSA 2013 by my favorite magazine -- Dog Fancy.

His Highness:

It was only after I posted a reveal that I realized the dog matched the kitchen. Here's Jake. For the record, the counters are dark grey (almost black, like him). His feeding area and one of his four beds/sofas is around the corner -- but no dedicated cabinetry (just dedicated storage containers for treats and food)

As others have said, pets are part of the family, too!

When we remodeled our Kitchen, we made two "sacrifices" for the dogs (we had and have two standard poodles).

(1) I sacrificed my small appliance storage (a corner super susan) for a "Pet Center". Instead of a corner susan, we took a 27" cabinet, turned it 90 degrees to face outside the Kitchen, and use it to hold dog food, treats, etc. It's close to the Foyer that has become our dogs' domain.

The Pet Center cabinet has two ROTS (roll out tray shelves) - one as low as possible and the other as high as possible.

The bottom one has a 6.5-gallon popcorn can that holds approximately 16 pounds of dog food, another 3-gallon can that has their treats, and an assortment of other items (bowls for when we travel, ear wash, etc.)

The top one has things like extra collars, leashes, ear & eye wipes, doggy toothbrushes & toothpaste, etc. Now that our kids are older, it also holds the dogs' heart worm and tick/flea meds.

Here some early pictures of the our Pet Center. Note, the top drawer is now used for flashlights, batteries, and commonly used tools (e.g., screwdriver).

You can see how close and accessible it is to the pet area:

A post-remodel picture:

And just because: Ruby & Shea, our standard poodles during our remodel (they've both since passed away.)

And...Kahlan and Cassie, our current standard poodles:

.

(2) The second sacrifice was the floor - I wanted a "softer" flooring, probably hardwood, but the nails of two dogs would scratch them up too quickly. (We have friends with one standard poodle and their hardwood floors were badly scratched after only a couple of years). Instead, we have tile. Harder on my feet, but the dogs don't scratch it. Another plus - when they come in the house during the summer, they love to sleep on the cold tile!

.

Not part of our remodel, but we blocked off the doorway b/w the Foyer and the LR with their cage - a 4'x4' caged area that is their "kennel". We put down those foam interlocking alphabet tiles our kids had when they were little to cushion the space, and then put a comforter and pillow in it. They love sleeping in it at night (it's not closed). We have to go the long way around to get to the LR/DR/Library side of the house, but we're willing to do it for them!

buehl, love your pooches! A friend of mine has 4 standard poodles and they are an active bunch. Like small ponies running through the house. I do like your dogs' haircuts way better than the fancy styles.

Ob2b, Otto on the counter with the bone! Omg, what a naughty dog. I have one of those too. Just a couple nights ago we heard something in the kitchen about 3am. Normally Ecko will bark first, since PJ is getting hard of hearing. She didn't bark though. Hmmmm. So DH gets up, flips on the light, and guess who is up on the island countertop? Echo with a pork chop bone in her mouth! DH had left his plate with the bone on the counter. She jumped on the stool to get up there. She's only like 12" high, but she can jump really high. lol! I sure hope Gunner recovers. :-(

jkliveng, Yea, another Jack owner. Or do they own us??? Here is a poster I want to frame and hang by the front door. Reminds me of mojomoms great list. My jacks sleep upside down like 'his highness' all the time too.

I love seeing everyone's adorable pets. Keep them coming!

This jack is Ecko's twin.

Love this thread! Such a fun pet parade. Had to chime in again when I saw poodles! My sister who lives in Houston Texas has 2 white standard poodles and my other sister here in Hope BC a has 2 poodles as well, a black standard and a black moyen. I have 2 poodle crosses. We're a poodle loving family. Always had a poodle growing up too. Our dogs and cat sleep in our room on a pile of dog beds, but the door is open so they can move around and guard as needed.

Noble (for the noble fir tree) at 4 months

mojomom, I love your husky! I've had a few wonderful weekends dogsledding on northern Minnesota, and your lovely pup brought back fond memories.

Gooster, two Cardis in one thread! Jake is adorable.

Buehl, thanks for the pics of your old friends. I don't think many people realize how lovely poodles are without the silly show dog haircut.

So, since the weekly thread is about accomplishments....look at my new living room!!

OK, so it isn't really my new living room, its my dining room emptied and temporarily converted to my living room.

We moved the chairs and tables, anything wooden, out into the garage and puzzle boxed the rest into the dining room so we can start painting the ceiling and ripping up the carpet.

I haven't had a "living room" this small since we had our very first place!!

And yes, those are stickers that my kids put on the glass of the French doors along with their handprints everywhere. Grrr!!!

Another accomplishment!! I got EVERYTHING moved out of the living room/central hub of our house.

I haven't seen this room empty for over 20 years!!

this weekend we start painting the ceiling and ripping out the 22 year old carpet!

Go, Texas! I am loving all the pets! I've seen a couple of corgis at work, and they crack me up!

So, today I return to see what (if anything) is going on with my bathroom. I've been away for work since Monday. The guy is in the midst of grouting the shower surround and it appears the floor tile had not been replaced. I commented on the floor tile, oh you didn't change it yet. Yes, he had. But he replaced it in another V pattern. What the hell!? That's why you were ripping it out and replacing it! I don't want a V in my floor (it's a fake marble pattern). So he says he'll take it out and do it again. Which is good, because it's not quite level either. Then he said, The boss said he couldn't find any light gray or white grout, so he got antique white. I said I don't want gray I want white. I look at the parts he's grouted. Oh. My. God! It's hideous! It's the colour of wet sand! I HATE it! I say, yeah, I don't like that at all. I wanted white grout, like that (I turn and point to the backsplash area of the sink), I like that. I don't like this. Can it come out? He said yes, he should be able to scrape it out. I said good. I'll go find you some white grout. He scraped it out.

I said, I really wish he had texted or called me because I would have told you no and you wouldn't have to do all this work twice. Same with the floor tile, the boss knew I didn't like the V pattern. The policy really should be: Check with the homeowner before making your own decisions, because then you won't lose money by doing everything twice! I'm SO glad I got home when I did.

Mgmum - sounds like your contractors need "the talk" about following the approved design, who must approve all changes, who should be consulted when things go awry, who is paying for the work, and who has to live with the results for years to come....

I wanted wood in my kitchen but I did tiles to accommodate my pets in going in and out of my sliding door in the back yard as it is part of the kitchen and I did not want snow, water from the rain and leaves to ruin my floors. I also wanted to leave a water dish there all the time. I have a dedicated few shelves in the small pantry closet just for the food, treats and dishes/bowls for my Furkidz. Now I only have 1 little dog since the other 4 have passed but I plan to get her a friend. I will have to take some pictures to share of her in my kitchen on the pretty tiled floors in the running bond pattern with the almost matching grout others on this forum helped me with once I clean up from redoing my other floors in my house from the water damage.

Buehl, I was home when he laid the floor tile, I was outside doing yard work. Then he hollered he was leaving and when I went inside and saw it I immediately texted him and told him it would drive me crazy the rest of my life and I couldn't have that V pattern, it had to come out. He was fine with it, but I think he didn't communicate the "No V pattern" to the guy that did the work, and I was out of town. And oddly enough, he did contact me when I was out of town about the floor grout, so I don't know why he didn't about the shower tile grout. It's fine now. The guy that was here scraped out the ugly stuff and put in a colour called Avalanche. I had to run out to get it because he was busy scraping it out while he could. LOL. It's too bad there wasn't any "bright white" but the avalanche looks good, so I'm happy. The worker didn't complain at all about having to do it over. I just can't believe that when he was applying it he didn't think to himself, Man! That's horrendous! But, then again, he has a Y chromosome so maybe that's why he wasn't thinking about how it looks. LOL (Sorry guys!!)

What a great thread, and I’m happy to see I’m not the only one! We’ll have two cat litter rooms with plumbing and an exhaust fan. If we ever didn’t have cats, they could be converted into closets or a dog shower. We aren’t getting the tall steel base on the bottom of the glass doors and windows, so the cats can see out. We are also designing the house around a courtyard so the cats have a safe place to go outside. I really wanted a feeding nook in the kitchen, but we unfortunately we could never find the right spot, so we will continue to climb over plates and mess :( Now, I have to see how to incorporate some of these other great ideas!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What I'm most looking forward to about radiant heat is seeing the the cats lounging around on the warm and cozy floor. Hmmm, I wonder if this means I won't need heated cats beds all over the place

Sadly I am petless for the first time ever. I lost both my dogs within a year of one another. I had to send my Black Lab across the bridge this February. As soon as we get some yard work finished I'l be starting a new pack. We've always had two or more dogs in the past but this last pair were close in age and when the Rot died the Lab had too many issues with his health going on for us to introduce another dog.

Pet Friendly Plans For the House:
1. Replacing our current pet door insert with a door in the glass on our family room slider.
2.Tile flooring in family room and kitchen.
3. Dog food storage cabinet in new laundry room. (for the 40 lb. plus bags of kibble)
4. Additional dog food storage cab in the kitchen for the cans,treats and a weekly amount of kibble. Dog first aid kit will be here also.
5. We are working on a design for a good (around 4 foot tall) custom dog gate for the wide hall separating the formal living room/dining room from teh rest of the house. The dogs are allowed there by invitation only. Our last Rottie was very social and would break the front room window trying to get out to play so the tall gate became a necessity.

We already have the higher fences (thinks to hyper social Rot again) and we have areas of our backyard chain linked off from the dogs which provides an extra level of security for the. They can't get to any of the fence lines bordering the front yard.

The plan is to get another pair of dogs starting with, hopefully, a female Rot this fall. Later we will add a male something (probably another Lab) that will be compatible as a brother. Reason being that Rots are strong willed and require a firm hand but mature faster. Labs can be strong willed adolescents for several years before they settle. I think I can train one more set of puppies before I age out. Then we will go into older dogs or puppy raising for Guide Dogs depending on our health and mobility.

Very jealous of everyone's pics! Especially the dogs! I'm allergic to dogs and cats and so I have pet parrots. I would love to have a dog to run with, hike the desert with, etc. :(

My birds will definitely fit into the remodel. I need a place for all three of their big cages (each is 4' x 2.5') with windows to see out of. I will probably be posting on decor forum as to which room is best as soon as I get the home drawings finished.

I have one bird in particular who is much like a dog...he follows behind me where-ever I go when he is out, he wrestles, and he gets into EVERYTHING. Because of the mess associated with getting their food ready every day and storing it, I may add a scullery. I have a very modern open kitchen, so everything is exposed. I will hopefully be getting rid of all door frames before I finally tile. This will be good, because this same bird occasionally chews on the frames.

My oldest, Rocky, who is 14 yrs. old:

My resuce bird who came with a broken wing, skinngy and filthy in a tiny cage, Scout:

My little brat, Zeek, who is a handful!

Awwww. You made me simultaneously happy and sad with your pic of Scout.

I had a nanday, he died a few years ago. I still miss my baby bird.

I admit to being a little afraid of birds but I love those three! They are all gorgeous.

Thank you jerzeegirl and TexasGem! I am so sorry about the loss of your nanday. :( I dont know if it is nandays in particular or just Scout, but she is such a silly and affectionate little bird -constantly nuzzeling me, wrestling, and just overall happy. When I picked her up, I was told she is mean. Not at all!

Parrots are very intelligent and affectionate animals, but they require a lot of attn. The conures are no trouble to take care of, but the caique gets into everything. He just takes off. I have to keep an eye on him.

Playing behind the washer:

Getting into my bikes (and severing the brake cable!):

Getting inito the ice cream:

Looking for treats:

cute pic of Scout taking her first bath:

Doggies love to sit on the outdoor lounge chairs so I got them each their own chair:

In our PA house, we built the house so I was able to incorporate a whole room for them. They have their own tub (tiled w/ their pictures) as well as their own fridge for food, a place for crates, and a chandelier I had made and painted in their honor:

Our FL house we bought pre-built and there's no room in the laundry room for their crates (they are raw fed and eat in their crates). I turned the downstairs study into their room, complete with pictures of them, a crate place, and ugly papasan furniture (because Molly loves the papasan chairs!)