These places are essentially places which dogs can regard as their own territory.  They are where owners keep their dogs inside or outside of the house.  Such places include a special room or backyard area that is where the dog plays, eats, or participates in other activities.  It might even include a favorite chair or couch where the dog commonly goes.  In some cases, this will be a shared space with others in the house, such as the big easy chair that the dog can usually call it's own until someone else wants it -- from the parents to the kids.   But in other cases, people think of it as the dog's own space and they don't intrude.  In a sense, this private space is like a children's room or outdoor tree house, which is a good comparison, since many people think of their dogs as members of the family.   So just as the members of the family should each have private areas in the house, so should their dog.

        While some spaces are quite simple -- essentially designated places for the dog, such as a corner of a room, in other cases, owners buy or build something for their dog.  Such places can range from a simple dog bed or dog house to very elaborate designs created by architects who fashion very stylish bedding and homes for dogs.   Such designs create more than just dog houses.   They are really more like dog homes, and the dog who lives in one can feel very special and powerful indeed -- much like a person may regard his or her house as an expression of the self.  The larger and grander the home, the larger and grander someone may feel about the self.   And so it is with dogs.  If a dog inhabits a palace in the family home or backyard, that dog very likely feels empowered -- and perhaps that may contribute to that dog becoming more dominant in socializing with other dogs -- and perhaps with the people of the household, too.

       A good example of such designs for dogs was shown at Petchitecture, a gala event for dogs and their humans, which was held in the Galleria in San Francisco on March 28th.  It was sponsored by PAWS -- Pets Are Wonderful Support -- an organization devoted to providing dogs for disabled individuals.  Initially, their focus was on helping AIDS patients, but now they have expanded to include other people with disabling illnesses.   I was one of the contributing sponsors, and in return for donating about $400 in consulting services for anyone who wanted to write a book in a silent auction, I got to put a flyer inviting people to send in photos to the Do You Look Like Your Dog contest in the "doggy bag" of goodies given to each person when they left the event.   (It turned out to not be a very effective promotion, since few people at the event looked like their dogs, and no one sent in any photos in response to the flyer.  But then, no one wanted to write a book either, so I didn't have to donate any consulting services -- an honor I shared with one other person who got no bids in the silent auction either -- a man who offered a huge framed full frontal nude photo of himself standing near his large black dog, who looked like a Chocolate Lab or Rottweiler.  However, that's another story).

       Besides being a fundraiser for PAWS, the event was designed to celebrate the publication of a new book from Chronicle Books: Pads for Pets: Fabulous Projects for Your Furry, Feathered, and 'Phibious' Friends.   Not only was the book for sale through PAWS, but examples of highly inventive and artistic pet beds from Bay area architects and designers were displayed throughout the Galleria and were the highlight of a live auction that was the big event of the night.  About 1500 people attended, many with their dogs.  So this was a kind of communal event in celebrating of places for dogs, too. 

       And here's a copy of the Pads for Pets book that was celebrated, plus another book about designer houses for dogs -- both available from Amazon.com.

A growing world of people who
look like their dog--or think so...

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