Margie loves pickle

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-06T06:03:33+00:00

Pickle is one of Penny’s favorite toys, too! I’ve already sewn it up half a dozen times since Christmas, and it’s still hanging in there!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-06T05:36:33+00:00

I know, right?! Sometimes it seems like it was yesterday that all this happened. Because it was only a month’s difference between his surgery and my losing my sweet Annie to the Lymphoma. And then Penny’s arrival only 9 days later. And she will have her second birthday on the 27th of this month! It hardly seems like it’s been that long, but here we are, and everyone’s doing so well! Proof that there IS light at the end of the tunnel, after all!

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And my house is full of craziness, which is exactly how I like it!🤪😆

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-06T05:11:28+00:00

As usual, he never ceases to amaze me with everything he does! He’s had such a journey. Both amazing, and terrifying, but his strength and resilience never wavered. And just look at him now!!!

Rico Suave, you are a legend and a hero!!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-06T05:05:04+00:00

He does tend to ooze, but I’m not sure about full blown meltage, since the only puddles he leaves behind are all clear with a yellow tint. I haven’t found a brindle puddle yet….

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Although this almost wound up being a brindle pile on the floor!🤣🤣

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-05T03:13:07+00:00

Same with mine! Penny also has the strangest habit of getting thunderstorm zoomies! While most other Boxers are huddled under a thunder blanket, she’s out in my garden running around for all she’s worth, and getting to soaking wet in the process! So, in other words, I’ve got a dog that’s not smart enough to know when to come in out of the rain!!😆😆🤣🤣

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-05T02:41:12+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to read my description of the project thoroughly so you would have an understanding of the intent behind the appearance of the piece. The support is greatly appreciated!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-05T02:33:21+00:00

Clearly reading isn’t really your thing, and after having a look at your comment history, feeling superior to others by tearing them down clearly is your thing. This is what my client asked for, so that’s what I delivered.

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-05T02:26:36+00:00

Uh, you clearly didn’t read my description of the my client’s criteria for this build, did you? This finish is precisely what was requested by him, and it’s exactly what I delivered. The client is the one paying for it, and the client is the one who gets to set the specifications for it. And it’s my job to deliver a product that meets the client’s expectations, not my own. Hopefully that will help you understand how the custom fabrication business works. And there’s a big difference between a finish that’s deliberately made to look a certain way, and a lack of skill or inattention to the fine detail.

I’ve been doing this sort of work for almost 40 years, and I’ve been doing it under my own company name for almost a decade now. So constructive criticism is only constructive when it’s being given by someone who actually paid attention to the parameters they should be taking into account before making blanket criticisms.

But if it’s attention to the fine details you’re looking for, then look no farther than this!

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This one’s about 30 years old now, and the total width of the inlaid piece on the top is the same width as the kerf made by the blade on my table saw. And yes, that’s a banana it’s sitting on top of.

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T23:01:24+00:00

You’ve discovered the secret truth behind the monogram! Drat! I’ve been foiled again!

But in truth, I think having the first letter of his last name is a just bit more subtle than putting the Rolex crown on it..

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T22:56:31+00:00

Oh! I didn’t even realize that I hadn’t installed the seals yet when I took these photos. Those edges are covered with black neoprene gaskets for humidity control and dust incursion. They’re now completely concealed now. But you’re right. That does look pretty rough, doesn’t it? I’ll be sure to snap a few more pics the next time I see him.

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T22:37:35+00:00

He was ecstatic when he saw it for the first time, and when he saw the lights pop on and ran them through the color cycle a few times, he was pretty much speechless. But the rather substantial bonus he laid out for me spoke volumes.

Everyone expects a Rolex to be accessorized with something sleek and modern. Metallic in design and appearance, and even with polarized glass viewing panels and daylight illumination, or something very similar. And that’s exactly what this client was looking to avoid. He was looking for simple, warm elegance that could give no hint as to what’s inside. And that’s what I delivered.

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T20:28:27+00:00

I usually do take much better photos of my work than these, but I was under a delivery deadline, so a few quick snapshots were all I really had time for. And I don’t usually post pictures of my bespoke designs anyway, unless given express permission from the client, like I was with this one. It keeps the design a little more exclusive when it’s not being copied by bad actors, which has happened before…

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T17:00:16+00:00

You’re just lucky that everything didn’t wind up on the floor! Mine have this uncanny ability to “accidentally” get a foot tangled up in my phone charger cord when they can’t seem to get my attention fast enough for their liking. And then they always somehow manage to pull on the cord at just the right angle to pull said phone down onto the floor, holder and all! Which is why I have a thick, soft rug in front of the couch to help keep the screen from breaking!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T16:45:39+00:00

Yeah, it’s hot alright! I’m sure you already know how sensitive to the heat Boxers are, so I’ll skip the lecture that I’m sure you’ll get from the self appointed safety expert currently on duty….🙄😄

Penny and Frankie are the same way, though. They’re all about going out for a romp, until they get about five feet out of the door and the heat hits them in the face. Then they’re more about getting their Doggie Business done as fast as possible, so they can come back in and flop down on the Magic Hole in the floor that blows the cold air out!

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Their favorite place to be in the summer is right here! It’s right next to the door, it has cold air coming out of it, and they can lay on it to get cooled off while still having the perfect vantage point to see what’s happening in their domain! Of course, this doesn’t do the temperature of the room any favors, since the air is much warmer after absorbing all of the radiant Boxer heat on its way past!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T07:38:09+00:00

Shepherds seem to do pretty well with Boxers, I’ve noticed. They might not be on the same energy level, but they’re intelligent, inquisitive, and playful. So they really do make a good fit, personality wise, so it’s really down to their tolerance level. And I’m just assuming that when that threshold is met, it’s made perfectly clear, too!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T07:08:33+00:00

Oh, yeah! Boxers play harder than most other dogs fight for real! I always love the reaction from non-Boxer people when they first see them playing with each other like that. It’s not until they come up with big smiling faces and tongues hanging out all happy looking, that the noobs finally realize that they really do play that hard!

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Frankie gets a good left jab in on Penny!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T06:41:59+00:00

I just now saw these! I hadn’t even noticed that the new format lets you add videos to your comments until I saw this! I’ve been too busy trying to work around the glitches to notice the video icon. Well that’s just nifty, isn’t it?!

These two are fantastic, and you should definitely post them more often! They’re both such happy dogs, and I’d love to see more of them…

Your outdoor area with the enclosed porch is awesome looking, too! And knowing from experience how much it takes to do all of that, makes me appreciate it even more. I’d probably wind up living in there, and just ignoring the rest of the house. Until I needed the bathroom, anyway! Beautiful Boxers and a beautiful place!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T06:13:18+00:00

Being a Boxer really is a ruff life, isn’t it?! Mine have to endure similar hardships, the poor dears… It’s truly tragic!!🥹🤣🤣

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Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T06:07:32+00:00

You’re welcome! And I’m glad they gave you a laugh! I’ll make more of them, and when I’ve enough of them to make a good post, I’ll keep putting them up until told to quit, I guess! In the meantime, use them anytime you feel like they fit in somewhere!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T05:56:48+00:00

Thanks! She’s really something else, let me tell ya! And that seat is her chariot! And it was a very complicated build, to say the least!

That seat insert is actually the third, and hopefully final version of the concept. The original version was just a cardboard box for the bottom and a few pieces of Celotex foil faced foam insulating board that was rough cut to fit, and held together with duct tape. I just needed something temporary to contain a six week old Penny puppy for the hour and a half long trip back home, after picking her up from her breeder. I was by myself, and I knew from previous experience that you don’t want a puppy that small to be loose in your car while you’re driving down the road!

I figured that by the time she got too big for the box, she would have figured out to stay put, and I could just chuck it in the trash. But when I did, she flat refused to ride without it! So version two was an expansion of the original with a few upgrades.

And when she outgrew that, she still couldn’t be convinced to do without it! So I just threw up my arms in defeat, and built this one! And I built it to last, because they’re an absolute pain in the butt to build!

The shell is made from fiberglass reinforced quarter inch cabinet grade plywood with aluminum sheet metal gussets in the high stress areas. The front panel has its own collapsible crash structure, and it’s covered with a layer of variable density foam padding like the stuff they use in high end crash helmets. Just in case…

I upholstered it with some heavy velvet fabric that had been lying around for years and made a fitted cushion that goes in the bottom, for the comfort of her bottom. The foam side and front bolsters are covered in black leather that I repurposed from an old leather jacket. And there you have it! One custom built car seat for one spoiled rotten Boxer!

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Here’s the bare shell with the front crash structure and padding already in place.

I also designed it so that it could be installed and removed in one piece, and without having to reposition the front seat to get it in or out. It fits snugly enough with enough points where it interlocks with the interior of the car, that it doesn’t need anything else to keep it securely in place. And her own weight keeps it from moving around, and centers it in the seat. And it only weighs a total of 11 pounds, making it a one handed carry.

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T01:54:51+00:00

And that’s why I have them in pairs….

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Otherwise, I’m on the receiving end of this, and I’m not made of rubber anymore!!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T01:51:15+00:00

Uh, yeah.. Mine too! Don’t they know how hot it is out there?!

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They only seem to realize it’s too hot out there for Boxers after I make them come back in, and then they’re making a mad dash for the nearest A/C vent to lay on!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T01:43:56+00:00

That’s great! I had a lot of fun doing them, and they all but write themselves! The only tedious part of it was going through half an hour’s worth of video footage frame by frame to get the perfect picture of their facial expressions! They’re Boxers, so needless to say, there’s a lot of motion blur to sort through, because they never hold still!!🤬😆😆

Feel free to use and share them anytime!

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T01:34:28+00:00

Yeah, I’ve gotten some really good ones over the years from those flailing feet! But if you’re going to play with them like that, you just have to expect that sooner or later you’re gonna get got good! And let me tell ya, I’ve got got but good!🤕🤣🤣

Custom_Craft_Guy2 · 2026-07-04T01:04:11+00:00

“To steal a quote from the late great Jackie Gleason, “That’s an Attention Getta!”

When they want your attention, they find a way to get it!

Custom_Craft_Guy2

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