Doggy Fortress and Kitty Palace

Just in case you didn't know, I LOVE animals! And, since I do, Ted has to go through the hassle of taking care of them the way I do. Because it gets so frigid and snowy in Idaho during the winters, we decided to build our dogs a shelter. We used to get huge hay tarps and hang them around the kennel, but they get ripped and torn in the wind, so we end up spending about $100 or more in tarps each year...and Ted was sick of that, so he decided to build them a covering. The straw we got from my mom, and it works like magic. The actual building took us 8 hours to build. Ted had one of our home teachers, Casey Polatis come over and help him build the structure, then I helped him put on the sides and the roof. Let me tell you, it is an art to put down shingles.

Now for the cats...they have been inhabiting our garage for the last year, and Ted has had enough! He finally put his foot down and said our cars will not sit outside for another day...so, we bought a little shed for them. Cute isn't it? We are going to be putting in insulation, a window, and shelving so we can store things in there too. So, that is going to be tomorrow's project. I can't wait to be able to come home and open the garage without having to worry about letting the cats out, and I am sure he feels the same way. Since Smokey is strictly an inside cat, we will have to carry him from shed to house, but that is only a 30 foot walk. The reason we don't let Tom Tom out is because our dogs would kill him. They are the best defense and protect dogs, but they hate other animals, especially cats. So, I have to keep him safe, which he actually loves. He is getting older, and doesn't like to be outside where the wild cats live and fight. Smokey and Tom Tom are best buds, so I am excited to give them a palace of their own. It should go well! Wish us luck with finishing the shed!

One more thing...the sunset tonight was to die for...enjoy!