C is for Crate, as in Annie’s apartment

When Annie and her brother Chico were little, less than 20 pounds combined, they shared a little crate in the den, then moved to the laundry room. All the dog-training books recommended crate training, so we did it, and they adapted well. We had our ritual. I would lure them out to the laundry room with Milk-Bones, turn on the Tiffany lamp I placed on the washing machine for a night light, wish them good night and quickly close the door. At first, they whined to come back in, but eventually they would settle down. God help the person who opened that door because they would zoom back into the house and we’d have to do the good-night ritual again. In the morning, I’d open the door and they’d come running, ready for breakfast.

When we traveled, I put the crate in the car. It kept the dogs out of trouble, and they seemed to feel safe there.

As they grew, I got a bigger crate, which they still shared. But these were not destined to be little dogs. Eventually I bought a second crate. For months, they still slept together, but one morning I discovered Chico had moved next door. They slept in their side-by-side crates until Chico ran into trouble and I had to give him away.

Annie still sleeps in her crate when I’m not home or when she isn’t feeling well. She has a doggie door now, so she can go out whenever she wants–although she usually waits for me to go with her. Over the years, the crate has taken a beating. Annie and Chico were chewers. They chewed up the opening of the crate so that the door no longer fits on it. And Annie likes a messy bed. If I put her blankets in neatly folded, she will push them around with her nose until they’re a big ball of wool with the edges sticking out.

When I’m home, she now sleeps in the house, either on one of the big chairs or on her pink and white blankets on the floor. The laundry room was a good idea until the temperature dropped below freezing for weeks at a time, and the crate was just too big to bring into the house. The laundry room is only partially finished and gets almost as cold as outside, so I let her sleep inside. We tried sharing my bed, but we kept each other awake, so she sleeps in the living room, and I sleep in my room. But that beat-up crate is still there, just the way she likes it, stinky, messy, dark and private.

C is for crate. Where does your dog sleep? 

This is Day 3 of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Each day in April except Sundays we are writing posts corresponding to letters of the alphabet. Because I have several blogs, my alphabet posts will appear in different places on different days. Here’s the schedule. 

A Newsletter–A is for Annie
B Childless by Marriage–B is for Baby
C Unleashed in Oregon
D Writer Aid
E Unleashed in Oregon
F Unleashed in Oregon
G Unleashed in Oregon
H Childless by Marriage
I Unleashed in Oregon
J Writer Aid
K Unleashed in Oregon
L Unleashed in Oregon
M Unleashed in Oregon
N Childless by Marriage
O Unleashed in Oregon
P Writer Aid
Q Unleashed in Oregon
R Unleashed in Oregon
S Unleashed in Oregon
T Childless by Marriage
U Unleashed in Oregon
W Writer Aid
X Unleashed in Oregon
Y Unleashed in Oregon
Z Unleashed in Oregon

More than 1300 other bloggers have signed up for the challenge. Check out the list at kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/p/under-construction.html. You might find some great new blogs to follow. I know I will. Find out what D stands for tomorrow at Writer Aid.

Author: Sue Fagalde Lick

writer/musician California native, Oregon resident Author of Freelancing for Newspapers, Shoes Full of Sand, Azorean Dreams, Stories Grandma Never Told, Childless by Marriage, and Up Beaver Creek. Most recently, I have published two poetry chapbooks, Gravel Road Ahead and The Widow at the Piano: Confessions of a Distracted Catholic. I have published hundreds of articles, plus essays, fiction and poetry. I'm also pretty good at singing and playing guitar and piano. View all posts by Sue Fagalde Lick