Lucy either climbed or jumped over the 36" x-pen this morning. I was awakened from a good night's sleep by a clanging of metal fencing and a thump, followed by the pitter-patter of little paws. Seconds later Lucy, with Charley close behind, barged into my bedroom.
I have no idea how she got out. I cannot imagine that a very large butternut squash on little tiny legs could jump over a 36" barrier, nor climb up it and hoist herself, with babybump, over the top. There is a lower barrier on the wall side, but there is no way she could have squeezed her portly self through the 2" between the xpen and wall, and the frame I built around the xpen has not budged.
Now I have to spend the morning figuring out what to do about this. I don't want her injuring herself jumping out. While I don't mind her wandering around the house I certainly don't want the sixteen puppies she is obviously going to have parading all over the house with her, which means I can't leave the gate open once the pups are mobile. And, since Charley is in love with the x-pen and whelping bed and goes in there every chance she gets, I can't make a system that allows Lucy to hop over a lower fence but contains the pups - because I don't want Charley in there pestering the pups and upsetting Lucy. And I can't give Lucy the whole mudroom because (a) it is access to the back yard for the other dogs and (b) I really don't want my newly-renovated mudroom destroyed by puppies. And there is nowhere else in my small house that would work for Lucy and pups.
Shoot. Now what the heck am I gonna do????
6 comments:
Deah Fostermama,
Plese dont be upset, I just wanted to be close to you. Afta all, I shoodent be banisht to the muddy woom or wateva ya call it, jizt cuz I'm a plus size girl theze daze.
I may be a fosta doggy, but i'm twying reewwwy harwd to be nice to evwyone so youll adopt me.
Luv Lucy and da 16 puppeez.
My guess is that you needn't worry about 16 pups. I think she is only going to have two or three pups (unfortunately, they're going to be HUGE Newfoundland pups like Dad). I hope I'm wrong!
Oh Lucy you silly dog. You are only confined to the mudroom at night - so I won't wake up to find your water has broken on one of the very few good carpets around here and you nestled into the most inappropriate place with a pile of puppies.
You are a very good girl - and one day you will be part of your very own human family who you will have wrapped around your sweet little paws. But first you have to produce those puppies and prepare them for the big wide world.
Zip ties and a hockey net will make a decent x-pen cover.
dp, Thank you!! I don't have a hockey net, but I do have a cargo net from my old pathfinder which should do the trick - or if it isn't big enough, I should be able to get a hunk of fishnet from someone around here. Yay!
best way to induce labour is to ensure Lucy has free access to your very best carpet...
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