Yes, I did. I slept in a dog kennel last night. The black metal fold up kind, by Petmate, with: “sturdy wire construction for safety, rust-resistant black coating for durability, and a leak-proof removable pan for easy cleaning.”
We put a pad and a rug in the bottom of the kennel on the leak-proof pan. (The rug and pad I pulled out my neighbors garbage last summer when she redid her carpets.)
I laid down on my side in the dog kennel that is 28 inches wide by 42 inches long, and 32 inches high, curled my knees to my chest and locked the front gate. The dog put her head on the pillow beside mine and fell asleep. Her breath warm on my ear.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The 11 week old Labrador Puppy that was born on December 14th, 2013, was not happy about having to spend the night in the kennel. She would not stop whining. It was eleven o’clock at night and we were tired.
Would we listen to her whine all night, or would I get in there with her and comfort her to sleep as though she was just a baby missing her mother.
At two in the morning I woke up cold. My husband had turned off the heat and I forgot to get a sleeping bag. In the dark I fumbled with the latch at the end of the kennel and opened the door. The dog woke up.
Then I carried the dog outside until she peed. Then I grabbed a sleeping bag and got back in the kennel with the dog, and locked the front gate again. At four I took the dog outside again and then I got back into the kennel. Around five, my legs started to cramp from being bent. I opened up the gate and stuck my legs outside of the kennel. At six the dog was awake and did not want to go back to sleep.
The dog is a girl. She does not have an official name yet. The breeder called her Peggy. We have called her Peggy, Penny, Maggie, Margaret and Lucy. And then it was Peggy again, then Lucy and now it is Penny again.
What would you name her? Her paw is almost as big as my hand.
Oh, are you wondering how a puppy came to live in our house? Perhaps the name of my blog should be called, I Paint, I Write, I am Impulsive.
“I really think we should wait to get another dog. Two dogs are too many.”
“Look Mom. Look what I found on the internet.”
“Well, she is cute. Let me see how far away the breeder is. Oh, it is only a 45 minute drive.”
I called my husband.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes. I am sure. It is a good idea. Martha, our dog can help train her.”
“Okay, I don’t mind if I come home to a puppy.”
At seven o’clock when Nick, my husband came home, he asked, “Is there a puppy in the house?”
Yes, oh joy! There was a puppy when he came home. She was cute, and she didn’t chase the cats. Pure bliss. A sweet black Labrador Retriever.
Then an hour later, she had peed on the carpet in my daughter’s room three times. And she wouldn’t stop whining.
Mom to the rescue.
And that is how I ended up sleeping in the dog kennel last night.
I may sleep in the kennel again tonight. The dog shared my pillow with me and only snored a little.
Have you ever slept in a dog kennel to keep your puppy from whining?
My oldest daughter asked me, “Mom, may I tweet that you slept in the dog kennel last night? I thought maybe you didn’t want anyone to know. They might think you are crazy.”
“No, I don’t mind.” Maybe I am crazy. But, I don’t care. I did get a good nights sleep.
Now, how can that be crazy?
Do you have any suggestions how to get the puppy to stop whining? Please tell me in the comments. We really want to know.
P.S. She took a nap today. And so did I.
