MNN - Mother Nature Network

I don’t want to step on Ellen DeGeneres’ toes — she gifted Michelle Obama with a dog house that’s a replica of the White House back in September (watch the clip, below) — but since I've recommended eco-bedding for the Presidential Pooch, it’s only natural that I suggest a proper retreat for the incoming labradoodle (or Portuguese water dog).

 

Stephanie Rubin of LA-based Sustainable Pet Design and her prefab palace for the "Summa Canum" get my vote. It's a A DC-inspired (check out those columns!) take on her line of Greenrrroof Animal Homes. Like the rest of Rubin’s low-carbon paw print homes, her design for the Obama dog features a green roof (with native-to-DC vegetation, natch), zero-VOC paints and finishes, and beeswax waterproofing. The special touch? It’s constructed from reclaimed wood with a distinct lineage: It comes from aromatic cedar trees felled during a tornado on the grounds of Andrew Jackson’s plantation, the Hermitage, in the 1990s. Jackson himself was a somewhat green fella, as he was the first president to commission a greenhouse on the White House grounds. 

 

Rubin’s non-executive Greenrrroof Animal Homes are just as stunning. They’re custom-built (prices range from $1,000 to $3,000 for the standard Dog Barn, pictured) from rot-resistant red cedar and recycled woods. If you live in California, Oregon or Washington, you can order the home to be pre-planted with native outdoor plants. Otherwise, you’ll have the honor of doing the planting yourself; drainage material, filter fabric and a soil mix are included with unplanted homes. Indoor succulent roofs are also available.