Would you judge me if I told you that I had a custom awning installed on the back of my house, over my patio, so that my dog would have some shade to rest in? It’s really not that crazy, at least I don’t think so. But I might be the crazy dog lady and not know it, there’s at least one in every neighborhood. Anyway, I didn’t only get it for her. I use the shade of the awning a good bit on the weekends. It’s just that my little darling of a puppy, named Peanut, loves to sit outside in the summer and watch the squirrels jump from tree to tree. Occasionally when they get close enough she chases them out of the yard, but mostly they just taunt her from afar. She stays out there for hours at a time when it’s not too hot to just smell the breezes and watch the squirrels and birds. Even while I’m at work I know she’s out there a lot of the time because I had a dog-door installed on the back so that she could come and go as she pleases. The warmer months of the year are her absolute favorite as long as she has shade to rest under.
Peanut likes the sun too, just like me, but sometimes it gets way too hot. She can’t stay out during mid-day in the middle of summer because there isn’t much shade for her to rest under. The July sun is brutal so she gives up before noon and instead watches those pesky squirrels from the window, wishing she could go out to get a better look. This breaks my heart, so perhaps I am the crazy dog lady. I just want her to have a happy life, and sitting in the backyard makes her so happy it’s ridiculous. So with her interests in mind, as well as my own, I looked into getting a custom awning installed in the back so that she could still see the trees and squirrels bouncing among their branches while in the shade.
The awning installation company did not mock me at all when I told them my dog needed some shade, so that made me like them right away. They took the time to show me a portfolio with different styles and types of awnings so that I could choose the best one for my situation. I decided to have a shorter insulated aluminum awning put on the back. The insulation provided a little extra cool for Peanut and the shorter length still allowed a good bit of sun to come into the yard and into the windows on the back of the house. The style of the awning goes great with my siding and back porch furniture, so much so that it looks like it was built with the house. I’m loving the shade that it provides over my patio table so that I can have lunch outside with Peanut on the weekends, where we are both our happiest. As long as Peanut is happy, I am happy.
