it's not a home without a dog

CGC understands that in today’s lifestyle, home ownership includes four-legged companionship. In addition to remodeling and construction for the home owner, we haven’t left out those hairy family members. We can custom design any area to safely protect and secure your pet. Providing not only doors, gates and enclosures, we offer a full line of custom pet products from crystal collars to pet beds that match any home décor. Our craftsmen are able to create fine furnishings that serve dual purposes, such as buffet tables that are kennels, night stands that are liter boxes, drawers that are actually food bowls. We are sure our furnishings will suite the most discriminating client.

In the CGC family, we believe that every home should have a dog. In many cases however, that dog turns out to be a cat! No matter what your animal companion, if you are like the millions of pet owners across the country, you can’t imagine a life without them. Pet owners today insist on making their pets part of the family. Did you know that those fuzzy bundles of joy bring us undeniable health and happiness benefits? This is something that researchers only recently began taking a closer look at. The more time you spend with your four-legged companion, the better you feel.

For all disciplines that require research, we have established a basic principle. The principle is that if you can't find what you're looking for use your nose. Simply sniff around. If this doesn't find what you are looking for, start digging. If you still haven’t found it then dig deeper. If you find yourself in too deep, stop digging. Climb out of the hole, lie down on the grass and just rest a bit. Sometimes we find what we're looking for when we stop looking.

On issues of law, morality, and ethics, our philosophy teaches us that sometimes you are allowed to break a few rules—so if the occasion arises, go for it.  However, it is also the case that when it is in your best interest you should practice obedience.

In the area of business management and leadership, our philosophy offers a basic experimental procedure. If you think you are a person with some influence, try ordering someone else's dog around.  It doesn't work. This experiment demonstrates that a dog will work for you if he likes you, and it also shows that he will work even harder if he also respects you.  Remember that this principle works not only in dog pack hierarchies, but also in herds of people.

In the realm of communication, our philosophy is quite clear. Good communication is 99% listening and only 1% barking.  How things are said is usually more important than what is said.  Ultimately this leads to the principal that one should avoid biting when a simple growl will do.  Avoid growling when a simple snarl will do. And avoid snarling when a simple stare will do.  In practical applications the rule of thumb is less barking and more tail wagging.

In matters of politics and geography you should know your own turf and know the territory of others.  It is important to let others know when they have invaded your space.  However, when loved ones return to your home space it is your duty to run up and greet them.

On the issue of temporal cosmology, philosophy is very clear—stay in the present—that’s where you can have an effect, and where you are likely to find the treats.  If for some reason you cannot maintain your hold on the present, take a nap.

Perhaps the greatest influence of our philosophy is in the areas of social and clinical psychology. The canine philosophers say that it is okay to thrive on attention and to let people touch you. They also have reached the conclusion that if someone is having a bad day the best therapy is to simply be silent and to sit close by them. If you don't know what to say, say nothing. If you do know what to say, say nothing.  In both cases it is therapeutic to nuzzle them gently.

Fact Number Four:

They give us a self-esteem kick

Maybe it’s because they make us feel needed — after all, someone has to fill up that food bowl and stop by the dog run every morning! Or perhaps it has to do with the unconditional love they shower us with, or the fact that they’re completely nonjudgmental about our lifestyles. Whatever the reason, a 2011 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that pet owners reported higher levels of self-esteem as well as a greater sense of belonging and a more meaningful existence than non-pet owners.

Fact Number Five:

They increase our social connections

Ever notice that when you’re out with your pet, strangers are more apt to smile, say hello, even strike up a conversation? And when you share a goofy video clip or retell a funny story about Fluffy or Fido, people immediately chime in and share their own pet’s similarly silly antics. Those brief exchanges seem meaningless, but they actually leave us feeling less isolated and more in sync with our community, says Niven.  And that makes us happier because people are hard-wired to feel good when they feel connected to others.

Animals are conversation starters and icebreakers, so it’s no surprise that pet parent dating websites, pet/human fitness classes and other social gatherings for pet owners are becoming more popular. “People who have pets are perceived by others to be more social and open,” says Niven. “That can make your social circle wider and more diverse, resulting in less loneliness.”

Fact Number Six:

Petting them brightens our mood

Sure, it’s soothing for pets to be stroked and touched by us, but we get a huge physiological payback too: Just a few minutes of petting a pooch signals our brain to crank up production of the hormones serotonin and oxytocin, two calming chemicals that make us feel more relaxed and at peace, according to research from the University of Missouri-Columbia. And running your hand against your dog’s fur also decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The study only involved canines, but Niven suspects the same serenity boost can occur when you pet, nuzzle or rub any animal companion.

Fact Number Seven:

They bring order to our lives

Going for daily walks, establishing playtime and eating routines and making regular vet appointments — yeah, it can all start to feel like drudge work after a while. But there’s an upside to responsible pet parent behavior: It helps bring routine and discipline to our day, and that benefits us as much as it does them, asserts Niven. “These mundane tasks become habits to bring structure to the day, and when we feel like there is order and purpose to our lives, we tend to feel happier and be more productive.”