When we were approached about participating in Apartment Guide's “A New Place For Your Pet” Blogger Challenge, we were super excited!  Apartment Guide would supply us with a gift card to purchase anything we wanted…new pet accessories or even materials to build a new space within our home or yard for Ike to play and live. 

This opportunity sounded like a perfect “challenge” for a blog titled "Decor and the Dog.”

Key word….challenge.  How were we going to find a way to create a new space for the dog who he has already made himself VERY comfortable in every room in our house? 

Ike was just as puzzled…

The three of us pondered this challenge on our nightly walk around town last week. And then it came to us…let’s fix up the mudroom…aka Ike’s room!

Here’s our mudroom (Ike’s room) currently…

As you can see, it’s all dog….and no decor. (That box?  It’s Ike’s litter box.  Read more about that here.)

We’ve been meaning to do something with this space but we just haven’t gotten around to it.  It won’t be completed for a few more weeks but here’s a mood board we whipped up with our plans to spruce the place up…

The Breakdown:

• A Built-in Corner Seat/Storage Area: We’ll use this built-in for easy access to dog treats, bones, and poo bags which will be fully stocked thanks to Apartment Guide!  We will install hooks for coats, purses, and the Ike’s leash. Ike’s food and water dishes will be stored under the bench as well. We’ll share more about building this built-in when we get to it! (Nate designed the built-in using SketchUp. Fancy, huh?)
• Gallery Wall:  We plan to hang a gallery wall of photos/prints like the ones in the upper left.  (Most of these are found from CafePress.  We do plan to DIY some of them..of course!)  We also plan to DIY the sign that states “All You Need is Love…and a Dog”.  How perfect, right? (Found it on Pinterest!) We also plan to include “family” photos and some of Ike’s baby pictures.
• Ikea Bastis Dog Leash Hook: We purchased this hook from Amazon beings our nearest Ikea is 3 hours away.  Who doesn’t love a little red dog butt hook???  I’ve had my eye on these for awhile.  I was just waiting for the perfect excuse to purchase it without Nate thinking I was too crazy (too late!)
• Red Dog Food Dish: Red is, obviously, our accent color.  We think it will look great against Valspar’s Schoolboy Blue.  And what dog wouldn’t love a red food dish?? (Found on Amazon.) Ike says he doesn’t care as long as it’s full!
• Red Wubbas:  Ike’s request was Wubbas…and more Wubbas…and more Wubbas (We get his at PetSmart). They are, obviously, his favorite toy. He’s gnawing on a tiger patterned one as I write this post.

Do you have a space in your house dedicated to your pet?  Tell us all about it!  Or do you think we’re plain crazy for designing a room around our dog?  Weigh in!!

Check back tomorrow to enter our first giveaway.  The prize…a $50 PetSmart Gift Card Giveaway (from Apartment Guide) so you can start to design a space for your pet…or just spoil them silly!

Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “A New Place For Your Pet” Blogger Challenge. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “A New Place For Your Pet” Blogger Challenge. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.