For years, we’ve tolerated their nonsense. The midnight zoomies. The 2 a.m. bed invasions. The mysterious puddles that magically appeared right in our pathway first thing in the morning. We reminded each other, “They’re just dogs!” and “They’ll settle down with age!“ But Oliver and the Wookie, at 7 and 3, have other plans.
Oliver is a 30-pound con-artist with the recall of a gnat and the subtlety of a wrecking ball. The Wookie is a shaggy gremlin whose hobbies include the occasional snack of undies and puddles.
Together, they formed a chaotic duo that made every night feel like a sleepover in a haunted house. Between the cold noses nudging us awake, the wrestling matches on our legs, and the occasional mystery moisture event , we hadn’t slept through the night in weeks. We just didn’t know how bad it was.
This all became very tiresome, and finally, something had to change. And fast. These dogs needed a place of their own. A Doggie Crib. A Canine Cabana. And we just happened to have the perfect place.
Okay, it’s the laundry room. But it has four walls, a door, and a sink. That’s better than some college dorms. We’ve added a rug and their own comfy bed. Honestly, it’s nicer than my college apartment.
You know that feeling when you check into a hotel and everything smells like lavender with nobody breathing on your neck while you sleep? That’s our life now! We are sleeping through the night, soundly, without disturbances. The mystery puddles have disappeared, so perhaps the puddler wasn’t any happier with the sleeping arrangement than we were!
Meanwhile, how are Oliver and the Wookie? THRIVING.
They have their own bedtime routine now. There’s a little pre-bedtime sniff around the dryer, some dramatic sighing, and then they curl up in their luxurious orthopedic bed like the spoiled fluffballs they are. They don’t even look longingly at the master bedroom door anymore. I’m pretty sure The Wookie locked their door last night so we wouldn’t disturb them.
Sometimes, love means boundaries like giving your dogs their own one-bedroom apartment so everyone can sleep, stay dry, and not wake up with a tail in their mouth.
Would I recommend this to other dog owners? Only if they like sleep, sanity, and dry socks.
So here we are. The dogs have their space. We have ours. And peace reigns across Winterpast.
Now if I could just get them to stop changing the dryer settings…
