Yes, there’s an HVAC market for doghouses

The U.S. this year had its hottest summer in 132 years of recordkeeping, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

What’s happening: Americans cranked the AC for themselves — and for their pets. 

• One August TikTok video showing three dogs enjoying an air-conditioned doghouse amid 100-degree temperatures went viral, racking up nearly 16 million views and two million likes. 
• Some commenters responded with pictures of their own fur babies’ air-conditioned setups. 

The big picture: The global insulated doghouse market was valued at roughly $425 million in 2024 and is projected to reach nearly $690 million by 2033, according to market research firm DataHorrizon. 

• A swath of air conditioning products is marketed for pets, including Pioneer’s mini-split and Coolzy’s portable unit. 

Zoom in: Homepros caught up with Ricky Jones, proprietor of South Carolina’s Blythe Woodworks, which bills itself as the “first dog house manufacturer to market air-conditioned dog houses.”

• Jones — a certified welder, a licensed electrician, and a machinist — buys rough-cut lumber that he planes in-house, even making his own tongue-and-groove cuts. “These things are framed like your home,” he said. 
• He runs the business with his wife from their barndominium and sells about 275 doghouses a year, for “$1,000 all the way up to almost $8,000, fully rigged.” They’re shipped ready-to-assemble to 50 states and seven countries.  
• “If you walk into the office right now, underneath my wife’s desk are three dogs and a pig that walk to work every day with her,” Jones said. “And then we go home to three horses, five cats, and a sulcata tortoise.”

Go deeper: Blythe’s insulated doghouses come with a 5,200-BTU, 115-volt AC unit. Jones buys the private-label units from a U.S. distributor. 

• The setup includes a digital thermostat, a timer, and a built-in humidifier. 
• It’s almost overkill: “I wish somebody made smaller than a 5,000 BTU unit,” Jones said. 
• The doghouses can also be customized with a heating pad or a whole-house heater. 

What they’re saying: Jones has dealt with lumber and freight costs that have tripled over the past ten years — and believes he is “penalized” in Google search rankings because his website states Blythe is a faith-based business. 

• “We do have some counties in California that require a building inspector to inspect the doghouse,” he noted. 
• Despite the challenges, “We’re in a pretty recession-proof business, because the two things you’re going to see on a checkout counter, no matter how bad the economy is, are a case of beer and a bag of dog food,” Jones said. 

Of note: A dog’s normal body temperature is between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and they can experience heatstroke at 106 degrees, according to PetMD.