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Oct 14, 2006 7:11 pm US/Central
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Ruff House: Dog Houses That Are Bow, Wow, Wow!
by Maya Nishikawa
Annandale, Minn. (WCCO) ―
A Minnesota man is building one of a kind homes for dogs.
"People absolutely love them, "said Jim Hapka of Jimbo's Hound Houses.
Giving new meaning to the expression, "putting on the dog," Hapka builds houses with everything the discriminating homeowner would want.
"We make any size they want with any amenity they want," Hapka said.
They are homes fit for a king or queen, just as long as they have four legs.
Two of Hapka's model homes, the colonial and the homestead, are on display at a gas station in Buffalo, Minn. Each so-called
hound house takes 30 man-hours to build, and retail at $1,000.
Each house also gets the once-over by Hapka's pet dogs, Fred and Barney. "With the exception of my wife, they're my best friends," he said.
"I
do consider them my best friends."
The custom-built homes are fully insulated, carpeted, heated, and include indoor and outdoor lighting among other extras.
The most luxurious of the amenities were central air conditioning and linoleum for a dog in Florida.
"I do love building. I enjoy seeing them come to fruition. I like doing it and people like that I'm doing it, " Hapka said.
"There are a lot of people that make fun [of the houses], but those who see it [the houses] say it's amazing," he said.
A "doggy duplex" and a two-story "hound house" are reportedly on the drawing board.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)