pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

Home Sweet Home

Necessity indeed is the mother of invention. And in turn, mothers can be quite inventive. Just look at the story of Crate Haven.

A few years ago Claniece Moore found herself in a difficult situation. Her domestic life in St. Petersburg, Florida was less than ideal. Moore was a stay-at-home-mom in a troubled marriage. Moore had just moved into a new house with three young children and two dogs.

Moore made the best of it and got to work settling in and decorating her home. The house was built in the 1930's and posed some challenges. There were many small rooms and seemingly no place for her dog's bulky crates.

Since Salty, a golden retriever, and Fern, a cockapoo, were older and mature Moore's first thought was to abandon the crates to save space. But without their crates, Moore says Fern and Salty were lost, "They just didn't know what to do with themselves," says Moore. At that point Moore started to look at crates in a whole different way. She got out her sketchpad and doodled — thinking, "How can I integrate these crates with my furniture."

The industrious mommy designer sat down at her kitchen table and started sketching a few ideas. Next step: turning her scribbles into furniture. She'd done a bit of woodworking in the past and had put sweat equity into various old "fixer upper" houses. She thought, surely designing a box to camouflage a crate can't be that challenging.

With her rudimentary carpentry skills and a lot of creative energy, Moore got busy and built her very first piece of furniture on her porch. The result pleased Moore. In fact, the idea came to her to market her creation to other finicky dog owners and Crate Haven (www.cratehaven.com) was born.

Moore thought there was an audience for her creation. As Moore explains, for many dog owners a crate is essential; a dog, like his ancestor the wolf, is a den animal. Moore says many dogs love the security of their crates. For example, Moore reports Salty and Fern use the crates every day, "Fern opens her own crate to get in. It really is a den."

In addition to being a safe haven for older pets, crates are all but required for puppies. Fur parents of rambunctious pups appreciate being able to keep their young dogs from finding trouble while roaming free in the house. Crates are also frequently used to housetrain puppies — a puppy quickly learns not to soil its own sleeping quarters.

Moore thought her business could help both camps — the elderly dog that wants a safe nook and the young pup who needs training — "Crate Haven lets your dog enjoy the privacy and comfort of a crate, while you enjoy the beauty of quality furniture," says Moore.

Crate Haven targets dog lovers who crave a comfortable and beautiful home environment. "I wanted this to be the typical black dress that lasts forever," says Moore. To appeal to a variety of clients, Moore dreamed up three collections: the Harrison line is clean and contemporary (and according to Moore this is the most popular style), the Avery is warm and traditional and the Hunter is a blend with a subtle Asian influence.

Using rich finishes and fine hardwoods, Moore crafted a line that is both functional and attractive. The Crate Haven frame disguises a crate and can serve as a nightstand, side table or accent table. In addition to the five color choices, Moore is willing to take on custom pieces and match finishes. Some customers send a sample stain to Moore and the designer does her best to replicate the finish.

Crate Haven pieces are meant to be flexible. Every item of Crate Haven furniture features easy-to-remove side panels. These side panels allow a pet owner to expose as much of the crate as desired. Plus, the panels allow for easy clean up.

Online ordering is hassle-free. Before you order, simply measure your crate (the Crate Haven pieces do not include the actual metal or plastic crates) and then pick a style. Since most crates are standard, the four sizes offered by Crate Haven should work for most folks. Prices range from $449.99-$1299.99 for a standard design. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the furniture to ship.

For those who consider themselves instruction illiterate, fear not. Though Crate Haven pieces ship flat-packed, Moore promises that assembly is quick and "idiot proof."

Moore is extremely proud of her thriving business. Now in its fourth year, Crate Haven is not only a saving grace for dog owner's who abhor ugly metal crates, in a way, it also saved Moore.

"It (Crate Haven) gave me the chance to get out of a bad situation," says Moore. Having a business succeed gave Moore the confidence to make it on her own as a single mother. As she tells it, "When you are a stay-at-home-mom and the Today show is calling you up — that gives you pride in yourself." Moore hopes she is setting a good example of self-sufficiency and a strong work ethic to her three children.

To make her kids (Hunter, 17, Avery, 14, and Harrison 12), feel invested in the business that demands much of her time; Moore sagely named a line after each of the kids. The single mom says, "I wanted them to feel like they had ownership." In addition to the human kids, Moore's dogs Salty and Fern are invested — the furry models are prominently featured on the Crate Haven website.

Crate Haven has received some terrific media buzz. The Washington Post and St. Petersburg Times both ran print articles on the business. These features led to on-air interviews with HGTV's show "I Want That" and the Good Morning America show.

Without a large marketing campaign, Moore relies on word of mouth and her attractive web site to build her business. In the next year, she hopes to add a team of sales representatives to expand her sales.

Moore considers herself incredibly lucky: "I took an idea from my kitchen, built it on my porch, and turned it into a viable business that has supported my family." An outsider doesn't see much luck in the equation. Hard work and pluck turned this mother into an inventor and a successful businesswoman.