A doghouse designed and built by high school students is doubling as a fundraiser for the Santa Fe animal shelter.
The insulated doghouse, which was built by New Mexico School for the Deaf students and delivered to the shelter in December, is being offered as a raffle. Minimum bids start at $300.
Andrew Parker, an industrial arts teacher for the school, said he got the idea for the project after volunteering with middle school students. At that time, there were several doghouses displayed at the shelter built as a part of a competition dubbed Bark-i-tecture, sponsored by Teca Tu, a Sanbusco Market Center pet store. Those doghouses, built by competing teams, were raffled to the highest bidder.
Parker said that when he accepted the new position teaching industrial arts, he thought about those doghouses as a project for his students. He said he wanted to teach his students the different methods of framing a house, and the small-scale doghouse was a great starting point.
“When discussing prefabricated construction, ready-made sheeted walls with high-density foam installed between the studs, I thought of the doghouses I had seen,” Parker said in an email. “I offered my high school class the opportunity to design, build and donate an insulated doghouse to the shelter’s adoption center. They loved the idea.”
The students, Fernando Silva, Kendrick Skeets and Alexandro Lucero, spent about three weeks designing the structure on 3-D software and selecting materials. Construction took another two weeks of 50-minute classes. The project became something everyone could take part in, with elementary and middle school students helping paint the doghouse.
“The students would say that the most challenging parts of its construction was working around the roof’s angle and trimming the walls and door with a router,” Parker said. “They took instruction well and made quick progress. I’m very proud of these students and what they have accomplished.”
Parker said the students were excited about donating the dog house to the shelter and what the auction would raise for homeless animals. He said the project was a great start to “what I hope will be a long tenure as the school’s industrial arts teacher.”
The doghouse is on display at the shelter’s adoption center. Those interested in bidding may do so at the shelter or by calling 983-4309 ext. 610. Click here for the Doghouse – Build Plans.