If You’ve Dreamed Of Traveling The Country With Your Dogs, This Van Is For You

When it comes to summer travel plans, few things beat hitting the open road, especially when you’re able to bring along your furry BFF.

Luckily for those of us who can’t fathom leaving behind our dogs when we go on vacation, one company has built the ideal road trip van.

British designer Jack Richens of This Moving House recently transformed an ordinary 2015 Volkswagen Crafter into a custom, solar-powered home on wheels.

The Idea Behind The Van’s Creation

Built for a dog-loving client who frequently traveled with her two canines, the van features two dog kennels, a single human bed, a pull-out guest bed, a working kitchen including a grill, sink, stove and mini-fridge, a portable toilet and three belted, swivel seats in the front cab.

Basically, the van is equipped with everything someone would need to comfortably travel long distances with two dogs.

Take a look at this customized home away from home:

“The owner is thrilled and has been taking the van to dog shows around the country,”Richens told Simplemost. “Requests for more dog van builds have been flooding in, which is good news.”

While there’s no room for a full-size bed, the van can comfortably sleep two with its double twin beds. The top bunk even has a porthole for gazing up at the stars.

What Does A Van Like This Cost?

The materials for a custom van like the one Richens built are estimated to have cost around £8,200, or $11,608, and that reportedly doesn’t include labor.

Still, having the built-in kennels in the van allows owners the freedom to take their canines on an adventure on their own terms and without having to pay exorbitant fees at “pet-friendly” hotels.

With airlines implementing stricter rules for pet air travel, taking a road trip with your furry friends can make a lot of sense for budget-savvy travelers.

RELATED: This retro-inspired camper goes anywhere!

Dedicated Dog Showers

Looking for another way to pamper your pet? Consider a dog shower.

According to a recent report, the must-have feature many homebuyers want nowadays is not a three-car garage or a horizontal-wood fence — it’s a shower space dedicated for dogs!

An architecture company in New Jersey has decided to install a doggy bath inside every $800,000-and-up home it builds from now on. Fans of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” will also likely recall the “doggie spa” that Chip and Joanna Gaines built for a client during the show’s fourth season.

RELATED: Your ‘Fur Baby’ Needs A Pet Camper

Why Dog Showers?

It’s no secret that many people think of their dogs as furry family members, rather than just animals they own, and they aren’t afraid to spend serious money on them. A 2011 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported that households typically spend more than $500 a year on their pets, and a 2017 survey showed that millennial homebuyers cited their dogs as one of the main reasons they bought a home in the first place. So, for dog owners who have the budget to afford one, a shower station might be a practical addition to their home.

As Ken Malian, an owner of GreenRose Fine Homes and Design, told The New York Times, “When you walk a dog, whether you’re out in fields or walking on the sidewalks, your dogs pick up salt and mud.” And that means muddy paw prints all over your carpets or floors when the dog comes back inside!

While dogs can be bathed inside regular human bathtubs, there are several benefits to having a dedicated dog shower. For one, most dogs are not a fan of baths to begin with and may squirm or try to wiggle away while an owner is sudsing them up, creating a big mess. Worse, a dog may even try to jump out of the tub, which isn’t safe and could lead to injury.

Even after bathtime is over, sharing a bathtub with a pet means having to deep clean the tub after every dog bath. Unless, of course, you don’t mind seeing tons of fur everywhere when you take a shower yourself!

If Pinterest is any indication, dog-washing stations are often built inside of mudrooms or laundry rooms. While it’s not typically too costly to add a plumbing line to those rooms, depending on the size and kind of tile you use and how fancy you want it to look, the cost of a dog shower could cost run up to about $3,500 for a professional installation. DIYers may be able to build one for less by doing some of the work themselves, according to PetsBest.com.

As far as resale value goes, some architects, like Oregon-based Lisa Christie, believe it adds value to your home, even if the next owner doesn’t own a dog.

“Even if you don’t have pets, a dog shower can be used for many other practical uses, like rinsing off dirty kids or muddy boots, and are great for easy cleanup from messy craft projects,” Christie told NBC’s “Today” show.