There’s a Dog in the House:
A Practical Guide for Creating Today’s Dog-Friendly Home
This just-published book There’s a Dog in the House: a Practical Guide for Creating Today’s Dog Friendly Home, created by two dog lovers, one an experienced design professional and the other a recognized dog expert, addresses in serious and entertaining fashion the dynamic relationship between dogs and home design. Today dogs of every shape and size customarily live in our homes, an arrangement that was considered extraordinary just 50 years ago. From a cultural standpoint, treating your dog like a person has become a sign of enlightened, compassionate ownership. They sit on our couches, sleep in our beds, use our bathtubs, and occasionally dine at our tables. They also shed, track in mud, and show no interest in the aesthetic or hygienic aspects of home design. This has unfortunately become a major cause of disruption in the loving dog/human bond. There’s a Dog in the House provides solid practical advice for what many owners attempt to improvise–home design solutions that make it far easier to live happily with a well-behaved, contented dog. Here associate professor of interior design Nancy Chwiecko and dog writer and behavior expert Amy Fernandez present a world of ideas and design solutions for general and specific dog related habitation challenges.
In addition to introducing you to the book, this site will serve as an ongoing resource for dog lovers and designers with a myriad of related interests. Stay in touch for what we hope will be a vibrant and stimulating dialogue.
Nancy and Amy
HomeDesignForDogs 
I saw this article posted on The Bark and came over to your blog…YAY! I can’t wait to order your book. I too love old photographs of dogs. Several years ago I was interning at a historical society and came across photographs of a litter of Saint Bernard pups who lived at an inn around 1910 (the inn burned in the 40s). Something about the timelessness of the dogs against the backdrop of a historic inn was captivating to me and I have carried that image in my mind.
I am also eager for your book because my husband and I are in the process of buying our first home. We are a multiple-dog household (all rescues) and the dogs are a huge factor in our house-buying decisions. One of my must-haves was a downstairs with multiple exterior doors so the dogs can be let in and out into the yard easily. Thankfully we’ve found a house with exterior doors in every downstairs room!
Can’t wait to read your book.