As much as I like to write about things that do go well, I like to share stories about projects that fail, because I’m human and not perfect (and neither are you, right?). Here’s one:
Cody was a perfect gentleman for the first 3 months we lived together. And then he got comfortable. As in, comfortable on my couch, comfortable eating my mail (including his own vet bills), comfortable eating my remote control (Dish Network laughed, and replaced it for free). The vet encouraged me to keep him in a cage during the day, but I hated that idea and also couldn’t bear the idea of trying to conceal a metal cage that would fit a 100-lb. dog. It just wasn’t something I was ready to try so soon. I decided to attempt to create a dog gate (I guess that’s what I’d call it) to block him into a single room of my house.
Barricade trial #1 was a fail. It involved blockading Cody in a room by a couple of lightweight chairs. By day 2, the dog was not afraid to push a chair out of the way.
Barricade trial #2 was better! It worked for 7 days. I purchased some heavy canvas at JoAnn’s and used a grommet tool to make taut “walls” that hooked onto hooks in my doorway trim. I was proud of these, actually, because I thought for sure it was something they’d try and charge $128 for at Pottery Barn. The downfall came when the bully dog realized he could nudge the grommets off the hooks with his nose. Here’s a photo I snapped while I was installing the canvas:
Barricade trial #3 – a combination of 1 and 2. Not surprisingly, this also failed.
The dog now has his own bedroom (lucky) which he loves while I’m at work and during the night. He even goes in there sometimes during the day while I’m watching TV or doing projects in other parts of the house. He’s a happy boy with a fan and a view of the neighborhood, and he’s gradually gaining my trust… so I’m thinking about getting him a dog bed :)
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