Move over, Snoopy. This isn’t your simple red doghouse anymore.
Actually, knowing Snoopy, he would definitely get a kick out of Samsung’s astonishing reveal on Wednesday. Certainly, he’d be plotting with Woodstock to get Charlie Brown to pick up the tab.
All $31,000 of it.
Samsung calls it its Dream Doghouse, and if you are a particularly opulent pooch, then this is certainly your dream home.
Created by Samsung over a six-week period, according to the Daily Mail, the doghouse comes with two indoor living areas — one for “rest and relaxation,” the other for “dining and entertainment” — as well as an outside area lined with astroturf. Features include a treadmill, a hot-tub spa, a “push-to-woof” call bell, framed portraits of family and friends, a skylight and a dog-operated snack dispenser.
“The Samsung Dream Doghouse looks sleek and modern, featuring the kind of tech the discerning dog of the future will need,” Andy Griffiths, president of Samsung Electronics U.K. and Ireland, said in a press release. “From dogs who have social media profiles, to owners who use video calling to check on their pet while away, technology is fast becoming an integral part of everyday life.”
A wall-mounted Samsung Galaxy Tab S allows dogs to watch TV from their bed and owners to contact them via an interactive video link. In the front area, dogs can stare out through a large polycarbonate window.
Samsung surveyed 1,500 dog owners and found that 25 percent wanted their pets to have their own treadmill, as well as a tablet or TV. Of the dog owners surveyed, 64% believed their pets would benefit from more technology and gadgets, and 18% said they’d like their dog to have its own hot tub.
But before you go hunting the Google Store – or perhaps taking advantage of the last gasp of the defunct SkyMall – know this: Samsung only made one of these doggie domiciles, which was awarded to a lucky winner via a social media contest that ran until Monday. In the meantime, the house will be on display at the Crufts Dog Show, which runs this weekend at Birmingham, England’s National Exhibition Centre.
Via Daily Mail and Fortune
About the author: Jeff Goldberg is a freelance writer in Quincy, Mass. A former editor for MLB.com and sportswriter for the Hartford Courant who covered the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team (Huskies!) and the Boston Red Sox, Jeff has authored two books on the UConn women: Bird at the Buzzer (2011) and Unrivaled (2015). He lives with his wife, Susan, and their rescue pup, Rocky, an Italian Greyhuahua/Jack Russell mix from a foster home in Tennessee, hence the name Rocky (as in Rocky Top).
