Saturday, November 15, 2025

Season of Gratitude: Day 34

 

Saturday November 15, 2025

Today I am thankful for crate training!  The peace of mind this gives me to take a shower or dash out on a grocery run is priceless.  

I pretty much am at the point where I accept Ember's choice of "it's time for my nap", tuck her in, and go "do human things" for a couple of hours.  

But I also can ask her to "kennel up" so that the kitty can have safe passage, or a service technician can come into the house.

It's not always a given, but this is her den to sleep for the night, too, and I have my whole bed to myself.  I second guess this one at times, because when Carl comes to visit, he sleeps on the big bed with me (and often displaces me).  I don't know if Ember will ever get to that privileged level, but you never know.  

She does now take up the whole couch for naps during the daytime.  Sometimes she just curls up in a corner, and I take up the rest of the couch for a nap of my own.



12 comments:

  1. That is great that she know what kennel up means and does it most of the time. You never know she might be with you sleeping when she is a bit older. Have a great weekend.

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    1. LOL... that won't happen until I'm sure she won't eviscerate the covers! Right now I have the stairs to the bedroom level gated off.

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  2. Happy Saturday.

    Was mia for a bit as new computer/new search engine choice took a bit of work to adjust to. And, life got a bit busier/more productive.

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    1. Good to see you back! Learning curves take time, but we get there (or here, as the case may be). Onward, keep Sparking!

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  3. Awwwww, sweet Ember has come a long way, hasn't she. My Miss Lilly is only 10 lbs. but tries to take up the whole bed! Guess it's a doggy thing. Glad she likes her crate. Miss Lillly does, too. Makes life a little easier.

    Hugs and blessings

    barb
    1cd

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    1. Taking up the whole bed, rearranging the covers into a nest, definitely doggy things! And having a safe den is a super benefit for them.

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  4. I tried doing that when we first got Scoots, but whoever had him let him sleep with them. He has made his bed in my bed. He curls up to me and we have a sound sleep together. I admire you for having ember trained. (((BIG HUGS)))

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    1. Like I said, I second guessed it from the start. But she accepted it, and was sleeping well within the first week, in her little "safe space". It took reams of fortitude to leave her alone there the first two nights!

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  5. DD1's Winnie enjoys her crate refuge. She's about 9 or 10 and goes in on her own, I guess to feel cozy, in the middle of the day. Hers is covered with a blanket and she's got pillowy things in it. She's not a chewer. But, if you let her, she'll be in your bed.
    I can't escape DD2's little 10-pounder like Miss Lilly. Why is it such a small dog makes itself so big? He'll only sleep when touching or covering someone. I woke one morning with him standing on my chest, nose-to-nose with me. Just staring, trying to mind meld it was time to get up!

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    1. lol... sounds like he was trained by a cat. My sister's cats used to do that to her. I close my bedroom door at night so neither cat nor dog disturbs my den.

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    2. I can't sleep unless I have at least 1 little dog snuggled next to me. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to have all 3!!!

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    3. The one weekend when I had both my son's dog and my own, I slept on the couch and had one up with me and the other on the floor beside us. That was pleasant!

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Imagine it

  You know it's cold outside, so you bundle up well, open the sliding door to let the dog out, and step out with her before sliding the ...