Today in ‘dogs that live better lives than I do’, allow me to introduce the Plankbridge Dog Wash, the ‘Hut for Muddy Hounds’. Your eyes do not deceive thee — this is a shepherd’s hut for our four-legged friends, so that you can ‘say goodbye to muddy paw prints on your clean upholstery’ and say ‘farewell to dirty puddles on your shower room floor’.
I grew up with a dog that I loved very much. His name was Fred and he only bit me once and, quite frankly, I deserved it for being young and annoying. After that was Monty, who was a nice if lazy border terrier, and then Mickey, who was a nice if lazy dachshund. I loved them all very much.
But some people really love their dogs. They bring them everywhere, and make a huge fuss about them at every instance. Dogs have anxiety now, apparently. They must be taken to the groomers. They have their own Instagram pages, so that you, the person who does not own the dog, can see what the dog, that you do not own, is up to.
I must reiterate that I like dogs. I just feel a bit overwhelmed sometimes. Anyway, this luxury hut on wheels, the aforementioned Dog Wash, measures 2 metres by 2 metres and is extremely fancy, for want of a better description. It costs £15,500 (plus VAT). Here is why.
It sits on cast-iron wheels that have been forged over Dorset charcoal. It has a raised shower area for convenient shampooing and rinsing. There is an anti-slip ramp for entry and exit that folds away. It has a heated towel rail and a wall-mounted dog drier.
We’ve long been fans of Plankbridge huts here at Country Life, and we long will be. If there is a shepherd’s hut for a dog that you must own, then there are worse places to start than a Plankbridge one. It seems only fair that the dogs have their day. Am I currently crying gently into a cup of tea because someone’s dog has a nicer bathroom than I do? I’ll never tell.
James Fisher is the deputy digital editor of countrylife.co.uk. He lives in London and is definitely not crying
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