A Dog’s Life- Luxury at Home and While You’re Away

When it comes to dogs, some live in the lap of luxury. Amenities can help in the care and lifestyle of your pet. Whether a pampered pooch or a canine member of the family, there are lots of ways to make your dog’s life indulgent.

Consider built-in dog bowls in either open cabinet or pull-out drawer style food stations. Complete with extra water bowls, these are ideal for feeding multiple dogs. Drawers make tidying up after meal time a cinch, just slide close.

Consoles allow dogs to have a special place to curl up in family rooms. Either custom made as built in nooks or ready-made wooden crate furniture or modern fiberglass ZenHaus style, these cozy dog spaces fit seamlessly into your décor.

Corpus-based designer, Maricela Sanchez offers refined styles with her Bespoke Crates and Gates for dogs made with marine-grade polymer. Sanchez’s work is beautifully showcased in this non-MLS estate listing of  Paulette Jemal and  Liz Blue Braden in historic Monte Vista.

Built-in pet beds can also be incorporated into cabinetry for a special place for pooches beneath countertops in kitchens.

Consider carving spaces into unexpected locations like under staircases or on stair landings creating small dens for your dog to curl up into and feel safe.

Mudrooms can be designed to accommodate pet needs especially well. Built-in kennels hold dogs and dog washing/showering stations with raised platforms allow for convenient clean up and are simple to add on. Built-in storage houses towels, shampoo, as well as leashes, toys and collars.

Forget using clumsy childproof gates to block your dog’s access to off-limits rooms by having custom-built wooden slide-out panels.  Sanchez offers sophisticated choices with cut outs to block access.

Acknowledge your dog is the king of your castle by commissioning a refined portrait worthy of the place of honor over the mantle by English artist  Justine Osborne.

Why limit the doggone fun to inside? Dog parks are popular in many neighborhoods, but the ultimate luxury is creating one in your own back yard. Fun elements like planed logs to walk on, boulders, and stumps are a natural way to enhance your backyard for dog’s play, but there also whimsical enhancements like this top spray faux fire hydrant that will mist your pups on timed intervals you set. Other design features your dog will appreciate are bridges for varied visual perspectives, rubber paths, and areas to run and play fetch as well as a sand area for digging. Other design features your dog will appreciate are bridges for varied visual perspectives, rubber paths, and areas to run and play fetch as well as a sand area for digging.  

When you’re off on vacation, your dog can be too at the most incredible canine getaway experience, the Russell Inn. Located in Adkins on the south eastern edge of Bexar County, Inn keeper and owner Brooke Negley has created a city dog’s dream of a country life on 100-acres complete with mud baths, boating, bird chasing, sunbathing and romping with new friends - just being real dogs. 

With music for ambiance, indoor/outdoor kennels housed in a cottage style house, allow for single dog occupancy or often dog’s make friends and double up in a shared kennel. Twice a day, dogs are treated to 45-minute or longer group nature walks (though they usually run!) on the acreage and dips into any or all of the four lakes. Meal times are gourmet with a homemade stew of lentils, rice, barley, peas, garlic, celery, and scraps from Texas Pride BBQ. Pups get showered and fresh before they go home. Rates available for short and long term. Negley has added a Russell Inn Rescue & Retire program for adoptable and rescue dogs.

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