Sabisara Pets builds dog dome during workshop
A small dome built during a recent Sabisara Pets workshop will provide shelter for boarding dogs, with a grand opening planned for November.
Left to right, photos courtesy of Sabisara Pets.
Workshop participants build Sabisara Pets’ Dog Dome using layers of earth-filled bags during the September 20-26 workshop in owner Kylie Burkes’ backyard in Kanab. The dome will provide shelter for boarding dogs.
Sabisara Pets owner Kylie Burkes stands in the doorway of the Dog Dome she designed for boarding dogs at her Kanab property. Built during a September superadobe workshop, the shelter’s grand opening is planned for November.
The September 20-26 superadobe workshop brought participants together to construct the five -foot-diameter dome in owner Kylie Burkes’ backyard. Experienced dome builder Thomas Loveheart led the workshop, while Burkes designed the structure.
Superadobe is a form of earthbag construction developed by architect Nader Khalili, founder of the California Institute of Earth Architecture, or CalEarth. The method uses sandbags filled with moistened earth, stacked in layers or continuous coils, with strands of barbed wire between the layers for reinforcement. CalEarth compares the process to a potter stacking coils of clay to form a vessel.
The technique can be used to build domes, arches and other structures. Completed earthbag buildings are typically covered with plaster to protect the bags from weather and erosion.
Dubbed the Dog Dome, the Sabisara Pets shelter is intended to help the business better serve the community by caring for dogs while their owners hike, work, travel or explore.
A grand opening is planned for November.
For more information about Sabisara Pets and its services, visit sabisarapets.org.
