Writer Shannon Severson // Photography Courtesy of Design for Dogs and the Arizona Animal Welfare League

Dream houses aren’t just for Barbie and billionaires any longer.

For the past 10 years, Facings of America has been helping Arizona residents’ canine companions to live their best lives in architecturally significant pet palaces through Design for Dogs — a fundraising event benefiting Arizona Animal Welfare League, the state’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter.

Last year’s event raised more than $80,000 in support of the shelter’s programs — which, since its founding in 1971, have saved the lives of more than 100,000 cats and dogs as well as provided low-cost medical care, behavioral training and adoption events to the community. The nonprofit also partners with rural shelters and rescue organizations that have limited resources.

In honor of Design for Dogs’ tin anniversary, organizers of this year’s event — which is set for 5–9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23 at Facings of America Showroom in Scottsdale — are hoping to raise $100,000, with a full 100% of funds going directly to the nonprofit organization.

The House That Miss Kitty Built
The Arizona Animal Welfare League was founded by a group of animal lovers that included actress Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty on the classic television program “Gunsmoke.” The seeds of a small operation have grown over the past 50 years, creating connections all over the state and now serve an average of 4,000 cats and dogs annually.

The Arizona Animal Welfare League’s director of communications, Kimberly Vermillion, says the organization, which has its main facility in Phoenix, now has more than 80 employees and 400 active volunteers.

“We partner with rural rescues throughout the Southwest,” she adds. “Animals also come our way from a variety of local county shelters in Phoenix and around the state. We also work with foster-based rescues — especially for dogs — and we have an owner surrender program.”

Rescue partners are smaller organizations that may receive vaccine reimbursement funding or food donations and that may not have the time and space to support all the animals in their care.

Foster homes are key to the Arizona Animal Welfare League’s success. Vermillion says summer is “kitten season” and everyone is busy with the roughly 1,200 kittens that come through the shelter. A large portion of those kittens spend some time in foster care before they are ready for adoption. In 2023, the Arizona Animal Welfare League had 200 active foster families who helped care for puppies, kittens, medically complex animals and those who just didn’t do well in the shelter environment.

“We are very grateful for our foster families,” she says. “They care for puppies and kittens under 8 weeks old. To be adopted, each animal must be at least 8 weeks old, be vaccinated, reach a certain weight and be spayed or neutered and microchipped. We also offer low-cost microchipping to the community each year.”

The shelter’s on-site medical clinic plays a vital role, and relief veterinarians help support shelter clinic operations, sometimes performing 20–30 surgeries per day, in addition to case management. The organization’s Medical Miracle Fund can take in more difficult cases for specialty services, including orthopedic issues and amputations. Every dollar raised in support helps finance compassionate care.

On a day-to-day basis, the team is dedicated to providing animals with high-quality care until they are adopted as beloved pets. They walk dogs in the yard, staff vaccine clinic days and also volunteer at fundraisers — including Design for Dogs.

“We truly try to make [the shelter facility] feel like home,” Vermillion says. “It’s a warm, welcoming, clean space. Our staff and volunteers really try to make [their stay] a happy time for them.”

A Decade of Doggy Domiciles
In keeping with the celebration of a decade of helping animals in need, this year’s Design for Dogs event will feature 10 all-star teams of past supporters and/or winners.

Each participant will create a swanky doghouse to be auctioned off as well as compete for Best in Show accolades, awarded by a panel of celebrity judges who assess overall design, dog friendliness/usefulness and application of sustainable materials.

Past judges have included media and social media figures, business owners, artisans and politicians. Attendees who don’t have a pampered pup at home can still get in on the fun with raffle prizes, food and drinks and dogs and puppies to admire.

The teams are truly a who’s who of talented participants. Facings of America president Richard van Gilse reveals that the company’s more than 50 years in Phoenix has earned it a local network of builders, architects and interior designers who leaped at the chance to participate.

“Before I could finish the pitch to the first person I called, they said, ‘Of course we are in,’” he says. “We did that ten times and got ten yeses. That is an outpouring of what makes this event successful. We have had an extremely strong outpouring of people who want to build; it’s a significant investment on their part in terms of materials, time and talent.”

Last year’s event sold 500 tickets, and the winner was “The Working Mutt Doghouse,” created by Ware Malcomb of Breise Construction. Created as a compact and elegant indoor piece of furniture, it cleverly concealed storage for pet toys, treats and accessories and even included a slide-out drawer to hold food and water bowls.

Whether modern and minimalist, traditional and cozy or quirky and kitsch, creators let their imaginations — and talent — run wild, but there are a few parameters for size and weight: The doggy domicile must be able to fit through a 36-inch-wide backyard gate and be able to be lifted by two people.

Van Gilse says Facings of America has always been involved in philanthropic activities in the community, but when they wanted to do even more, they asked their employees for ideas. The response in favor of the Arizona Animal Welfare League was “overwhelming.” Many employees had rescue pets and wanted to support the effort.

“We met with the Arizona Animal Welfare League and said, ‘We are just a small local tile company, but how can we help?’” recalls van Gilse, adding that there were some big creative ideas. “We went to the drawing board and one employee had the idea for a doghouse. We work with some of the most creative architects, interior designers and craftsmen in the valley. Challenging them to design and build doghouses would be a big draw. Out of that, Design for Dogs was born.”

The first year raised $7,000, and the team not only felt proud but took all they had learned about building an event from scratch: commitment to the cause, community involvement and careful management of expenses. It grew from there, and the team is dedicated to raising more money each year.

“We started out not knowing anything and now we hold one of the best industry events and one of the best overall,” van Gilse says. “We keep it grassroots; it’s not exclusionary or hoity-toity. We want it to be fun and get the entire community involved.

“The event grew legs and the primary reason is because the level of architecture and design and execution [resulted in] next-level dog houses. They’re not your average. We have world-class architectural firms. Some work on massive commercial industrial buildings, but they stop what they’re doing to build a dog house for a good cause.”

Van Gilse and Facings of America are proud of the event’s success and enjoy seeing the creations and the reactions of event attendees. Guests meander through the showroom to admire the luxe creations and use a specialized app to make silent bids. The build teams are on hand to answer questions about their creatively named creations, making for a highly interactive experience.

“We are grateful to sponsors, to the Arizona Animal Welfare League and every single volunteer in our industry,” van Gilse says. “We are grateful that everyone has been attracted to [the event] and encourage people who want to buy a doghouse or who just want to have a fun evening to attend.”

Lend a Paw
Vermillion looks forward to seeing how the upcoming event will grow as it has every year.

“This year’s all-star event is so unique,” she says. “We’re super excited that [Design for Dogs] has been going on for this long and it has just been getting bigger and better every year.”

In addition to attending the annual Design for Dogs fundraiser at Facings of America, those who wish to support the Arizona Animal Welfare League have multiple options. The charity is always looking for on-site volunteers, foster parents or monetary donations.

It also has a wish list on Chewy.com and Amazon.com, where items are delineated by priority and can be delivered directly to animals in need, as well as an adoption center at Chandler Fashion Center, where one can find a furry new family member. The adoption center replaced a puppy mill store in 2012 and has been going strong ever since.

Design for Dogs
Friday, Feb. 23 // 5–9 p.m. // Facings of America Showroom // 16421 N. 90th St., Scottsdale // $55 // designfordogs.org