And here I thought the KIDS would have the hardest time adjusting to me going back to work. Nope! The kids are fine. Our dog, Leo, has been acting pretty depressed, though. One of the problems we’ve had is his attachment to his cage. Despite it being too small for him, he stays in it for hours at a time while we’re all gone at work and school…even though we leave the door of it open for him. I pulled together a bunch of dog bed ideas awhile back, but I finally got around to implementing a solution last weekend.
Here’s where Leo used to hang out:
See? Kinda depressing. And although the crate wasn’t really big enough for poor Leo, I didn’t want to get him another one because it already takes up a ton of space in our already just-barely-big-enough-house. So we shoved it under this writing desk beside our bed when not in use and there it sat. Not functional for our beloved buddy, and not exactly attractive, either.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, this isn’t an imaginary dog I’m writing about. Leo does exist, he just wouldn’t cooperate for the camera.
So anyway, I decided that Leo still needed the security of semi-enclosure, but I wanted to offer him more space and the ability to come and go as he pleased. Since he was already used to hanging out in our bedroom while we’re gone, I devised a game plan to keep the spot familiar to him, but make it a lot more comfy.
Voila!
Our oldest and I went shopping for a dog pillow and found one the perfect size at Tuesday Morning. I then mounted a tension rod between the front legs of the desk and sewed a curtain for it to give him the illusion of enclosure. I can pull the curtain closed if I want to, for an even tidier look when my OCD kicks in.
And here’s the happy ending: he loves it! Despite all evidence to the contrary in the pictures of this post, we find him stretched out under here every time we come home.
Now our guilt about not being home as often is assuaged a bit, and I’m happy because–not only does Leo have more space–his dog bed isn’t an eyesore in our bedroom anymore!
How do you spoil your pet? Here are some other pet projects for you:
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