Let’s get this out of the way: My Buddy RVs are not for dolls.

The miniature campers, modeled after their life-sized counterparts, are strictly for the dogs – and their owners.

“This almost became a Barbie RV … almost,” said Bob Ruston, of Fountain, a former heavy line mechanic and street rod airbrush artist who’s hoping to spin a love of dogs, RVing and a relatively newfound flair for carpentry into a unique retirement pursuit. He’s four months in and still kicking tires, with four unsold demos, including the prototype built for his pug, some fliers up around town and an ad on Craigslist.

Got an RV? Ruston will make a dog-sized one just like it for your four-legged traveling companion.

Ruston gestured to a 2015 Thor diesel pusher, his newest creation and the fanciest yet, with rooftop air-conditioning vents and a satellite dome.

“When I started building this, my granddaughter said, ‘Can you make me one for my Barbies?'” said Ruston, 59, whose wife, Carol, even suggested the project might make a nice Christmas present. He disagreed, having already handed over the shed, among the first of his carpentry endeavors, for repurposing as a playroom by his 10 grandchildren.

Still.

“I guess you could hinge the whole side and put some furniture in, but that’d be an awful expensive dollhouse,” said Ruston, whose small, road-ready (so to speak) doghouses start at $500. “I can make them bigger, but for a real big guy it would be half the size of a car.”

Ruston and his wife own a 23-foot travel trailer and like to visit different national parks at least three times a year with their pugs, 12-year-old Buddy and Mattie, who “won’t sit still long enough to stay in a house.”

Inspired to pursue woodworking after a successful turn at building his wife a bread box, Ruston made his first mini RV for Buddy on a lark after seeing an image of another hobbyist’s creation, building it from scrap wood and tapping his skills as an airbrush artist to complete the picture.

“Then I got to thinking, ‘Gee, everyone with motor homes, usually they travel with little dogs,'” said Ruston, who works for a local auto parts retailer. “I retire in five years so I’m going to need something. I’m the type that I have to be doing something all the time. It’s becoming a passion, I guess you could say.”

He uses heavy-duty castors for the wheels, which aids in transportation; constructed entirely of wood, the houses are substantial. Ruston works from manufacturer brochures so his scale models are true, and designs each with a camper’s exterior compartment dimensions in mind.

“Anything you do anymore, whether it’s RVs or street rods, it’s all about look at me,” he said. “People can display it under their awning, where it enhances the appearance of their own motorhome, and then store it when it’s time to go.”

My Buddy RVs are designed to be functioning bling as well as a conversation piece, whether they’re on display at a campsite or up on tables inside Ruston’s three-bay garage.

A glimpse inside that model-
filled space was too enticing to pass up for neighbors Noel Gardner and John Stephens, out walking their dogs on a recent sunny morning while Ruston aired out his workshop.

“They’re beautiful,” said Gardner, stepping into the garage with his dog, Cooper, to inspect Ruston’s work. “I would love to have one of those, but I have to put an engine in my truck first.”