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Deep Freezer Dog House
Dogs at the Frederick Leese place near Fontana, Kansas, stay warm during the winter and cool during the summer, thanks to their insulated dog houses made out of old chest-type freezers.
"Even in the coldest weather, a dog's body heat is all it takes to warm up the inside of a freezer. They never need maintenance
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Deep Freezer Dog House LIVESTOCK DOGS 30-3-31 Dogs at the Frederick Leese place near Fontana, Kansas, stay warm during the winter and cool during the summer, thanks to their insulated dog houses made out of old chest-type freezers.
"Even in the coldest weather, a dog's body heat is all it takes to warm up the inside of a freezer. They never need maintenance and they're virtually indestructible," says Leese. "Another advantage is they're light enough that I can use a 2-wheeler cart to move them around."
He lightens up each freezer dog house by removing the compressor motor. Then he uses a sawzall to cut a rectangular entrance hole into one side of the freezer, bending a 1-in. wide strip of tin around the hole and screwing it down to cover any sharp edges. A curved plastic "roof" over the top of the hole keeps out rain and snow.
To provide a separate area for food, he cuts down the metal divider that originally enclosed the compressor motor and then bends the tin down.
"It's a low tech idea at a low tech price," says Leese. "I open the freezer lid to put dog food in and to add bedding such as cedar shavings or straw. Otherwise, I keep the lid shut. I usually place the freezer so the door faces south or east. There's no need to cover the opening because there's no air flow inside, just dead air space."
He has three freezer dog houses on his place. Two of them are full-size freezers where he keeps his Border Collies, while the other one is a 2-ft. wide mini refrigerator. He keeps his Chihuahua in it. "To convert the mini refrigerator, I cut a small hole into one side and then laid the refrigerator on its back side. I open the door from the top to clean it out or add food or bedding," says Leese.
He has also made several freezer dog houses for friends and relatives. "I already had some of the freezers, and others were given to me. Old freezers can be bought cheap at junk yards. If you want to make them look nicer, you can simply add wood or tin to the outside," he notes.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frederick Leese, 11475 W. 2200 Rd., Fontana, Kansas 66026 (ph 913 757-4760).
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