The Great Escape

[Pat and Traveler]

I brought Traveler home on Christmas Eve day, 2009.  It was serendipity–when I woke up that morning I didn’t know that by nightfall I’d be under new management--by a puppy!  I’d been checking doodle websites for months, and that morning found what sounded like the perfect breeder just 15 miles from my house, and she happened to have three adorable, chocolate, eight-week-old puppies!   The more I read, the more excited I got.  Everything sounded perfect–the puppies were raised in her home, thoroughly health tested and well socialized, both parents were on site and could be inspected–and yes, we could visit that day to see them. 

This was my First Dog, and it would be months before I discovered DK.  I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was in love from the moment I saw those puppies.  Trav made me laugh from the very beginning.  When his mom came into the kitchen, he gamboled over to her and tried to grab a little afternoon snack--she set him straight in no uncertain terms! 

By the time we got home, the stores were closed and I couldn’t get the items on the breeder’s list of necessary puppy gear.  His sleeping place was a blue towel by the side of the bed.  He seemed  quite content there, and I took him outside for potty breaks several times in the night. 

The day after Christmas, when the stores were open, I went shopping.  A crate was at the top of the list.  I’d done my research, had instructions from the breeder, and I was determined to do all the right things for this charming little member of the family.

Who knew that crates came in so many different types and styles?  Some research seemed to be in order, but in the meantime the X-pen or puppy pen caught my eye, and I came home with that, along with a cart full of other necessities and fun doggie stuff.  Sheeeeesh!  Puppies need almost as much gear as babies!

I set the puppy pen up in the kitchen, 16' of 4' high wire panels, ends tucked neatly into a corner, padded it with blankets and furnished it with toys.  I installed Trav in his new digs for the night, left the folding doors to my room open an inch or so and went to bed, feeling quite pleased with myself.  Everything I’d read said puppies need to be crated at night, and they’d probably fuss a bit for the first couple of nights in the crate (or puppy pen), so I was prepared for that.

Did I say ‘prepared for that’???  Chaos ensued.  I’d never even heard this pup bark, but oh, he knew how!  And he knew how to howl like a wolfling, whine, crash, thump, rattle, scrape and bump.  Just as I got up, realizing I simply couldn’t take it any longer, I saw Trav trotting across my room!  Oh, that adorable, wobbly puppy trot!  He’d actually managed to scoot the puppy pen across the kitchen floor far enough to get one of the sides and ends away from the wall and corner, then somehow managed to pry the folding doors open enough to get through them!  I have absolutely no idea how a not-yet-coordinated, eight-week old, 10-pound puppy could have managed to do either of these things.  He went straight to the towel by the side of the bed and collapsed.  That’s all he wanted.  His own familiar little bed.  For about 15 minutes his breathing had that sad little after-hard-sobbing catch in it.

I did get a crate, a classic black wire mesh one, which Trav now sees as his own private sanctuary and toy storage depot.  But back there at the beginning, he had already settled on a night-time spot, his beloved bedside towel, and he was just fine there until he got big enough to jump up and find an equally cozy spot on the bed.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

What a great story. Each puppy is totally different and really no books can tell you what to do. Both of my boys decided to "ditch" the crate at about the same age of 5 months. Monty never enjoyed the crate, but would sleep in it just fine at night. After I spent the night at an emergency with anaphylactic shock, he did not want to leave my side at night and there was no way he was going to sleep in the crate downstairs. I had to buy him a bed in a hurry. Auggie, on the other hand, seemed to like the crate and would climb into it even during the day. Learning from the experience with Monty, I had a bed ready for Auggie. And sure enough, when he was 5 months old, he would wake up in the middle of the night and bark. I still did not trust him completely with house training, but I also wanted to get some sleep and not wake up every night. So one night we just let him go upstairs into our bedroom and ever since then, he's been sleeping through the night just fine. I would seldom find him on his bed, he prefers sleeping in the doorway to the bathroom or just against the bedroom door, but that's his choice. He hoppes on our bed in the mornings for an extra cozy nap....and when Monty is on the bed as well with us, those two are the only two creatures that get a comfy sleep. Somebody should start making a bed bigger than a King size..Just saying..

[Pat and Traveler]

Thank you all for the comments!  I smile too, every time I remember Trav trotting across my room, wanting nothing but his very own blue towel.  :)

[Carol and Banjo]

Pat, Your story of getting Trav had me smiling from beginning to end!   What a darling tail tale!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Pat, I love this story about Traveler! It kept me entertained from beginning to end. Thank you for sharing!!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

That's such a great story, wriiten so beautifully and funnily makes me feel better about Boris who didn't do well either crated at night and now sleeps on a blue bed beside ours. Riley sleeps beside Boris. The wailing and howling that first night was too much for him and for us.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Pat, This is a treasure! Thank you so much for sharing your story of Traveler's arrival! Loved every word. 

[Pat and Traveler]

F, I swear Trav teaches me something new every day, and every day makes me laugh.  I can just picture adorable little Luca in the travel crate! 

Camilla--I suspect if I'd already found DK when I got Trav, the majority of advice would have been to tough it out with the crating at night.  In truth, he just happened to be a puppy that didn't need night-time crating.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I love this story so much! I too had not found DK when I first got Darwin and it was a learning experience! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

What a sweet story. I didn't know Trav was your first dog. Although my son's poodle lived with me for about a year Luca was my first all my own dog and first puppy. Too bad I didn't know about the fledgling DK right away either. I had Luca's little travel crate in my room but that arrangement lasted only a few nights : ) Oh how much the dogs have taught us.