DP Hunter Insulated Dog House

Strong, Tough & Cozy

Addie is a small, older, Beagle mix, who weighs about 25 lbs and lives outside. She likes her nice, clean, warm sleeping quarters in her new, insulated dog house. She loves ...Read complete review

Addie is a small, older, Beagle mix, who weighs about 25 lbs and lives outside. She likes her nice, clean, warm sleeping quarters in her new, insulated dog house. She loves those two windows, too! At first she would not go through the swinging door. I tied the door up until she got used to sleeping in the dog house. In just a couple of days, I let the door back down, while she watched. From then on she went in and out the door without any hesitation. As for the door, even though it is made in two sections, the door on this dog house swings just as it would if it were made in one piece. Only the top hinge swings. The center hinge does not. Of course, with slight effort, I can bend the door at the center hinge, but it never bends when Addie goes in or out. There is probably a very good reason for a two-section door that I have not figured out. Maybe there would be some advantage to it, when used by a different sized dog. More likely, it is a feature that protects the door from damage.

I wish there was a small groove or handle on the front of the door to grasp and pull the door open. There is the small, white knob in the window, but it is too small for me to grasp and pull with. I can open the door by giving it a firm shove inward and then grab it as it swings back out....if the dog house is empty!...but this would not work, if there was a dog inside.

Because Addie has some urine leakage, I change her bedding and wipe the floor of her house frequently. The smooth floor of this house is very easy to keep clean. I would not be able to do this very well by reaching through the door, so I lift the entire top off. To be able to remove the top quicker, I did not attach it to the bottom with the four screws. It is a bit awkward for me to lift the top off. It would have been nice if a section of the top had been hinged for easier access to the interior.

A brown/yellow dog house would not have been my choice, but I could not let color deter me from buying it, as Addie's protection and comfort were higher priorities. If there had been other color choices, I would have picked one that was better coordinated with the exterior of my house, which is gray/white. On a positive note however, I will say that, even on dark, cloudy days, daylight filtered through the yellow top creates a warm, pleasant glow to the interior, almost like a soft, incandescent light is turned on.

The large letters "DP HUNTER" and "INSULATED", stamped right on the front of the door, are not appealing. It is my opinion that it would have been in better taste to have the name stamped on a small panel on a side or in the back. If the word "INSULATED" is meant to serve as advertising to a potential buyer, it could be shown in the same size letters on a removable label. This matter of personal opinion, like the color, has more to do with how attractive the dog house will look in its permanent location. "DP HUNTER" could very well become a well-known and distinguished type of dog house, and like "Cadillac" need only a small, tasteful, easily recognized logo.

Overall, I am very pleased with this super nice, well-built, insulated dog house. It is tough, durable and well worth the cost. Sadly, I anticipate that it will still have many years of service left, after little Addie is gone. In spite of my nit-picking about trivial, mostly cosmetic details, I gladly give it five stars.