Up until March 2nd of this year, we've never used crates for our kids. Coco, Sophie, and Lobo are terrified of crates due to their horrible situations prior to being rescued. I'm aware that their fear of crates can be reversed with a lot of love, patience, and positive reinforcement, but we've never felt a need to do that. They don't get into things they're not supposed to. They don't have separation anxiety. They've never gotten into the trash. If we leave for a few hours, they're fine. No. Crates. Needed.
That all changed when we adopted Willa on March 2nd. She's a purebred Jack Russell. They're curious. Sneaky. Mischievous. Prone to separation anxiety. If they really want something, they'll get to it. They're escape artists. Very smart.
Willa's original crate was too small for her. She hated it. Almost feared it. A few days later, we got her a crate that was twice the size of her original crate. We put a plush blanket inside along with some chew toys. By the end of the day, it was apparent she loved her new crate. She went in voluntarily with no issues.
Almost 2 months late, Willa has adjusted to her new home life, our routine, and she's a happy girl. We utilize the crate for 3 hours in the morning Monday through Friday when I try to grab a bit o' sleep after Lisa leaves for work. And, on occasion, if Lisa and I leave the house together, she's crated.
After she eats her breakfast and goes outside, she heads to her crate.
For the past few weeks, we've noticed that she likes to rearrange her blankets in the crate. When she does this, it leaves the bottom of her crate bare. It doesn't seem to bother her, but it bothers me.
I wanted to find a solution that would allow her to rearrange her blankets and still have a cushioned pad for her to sleep on.
Lisa and I looked around for crate beds, but they were all filled with stuffing. Willa rips apart anything with stuffing. We knew store bought crate beds were not an option.
On top of that, store bought crate beds, for the size we needed, were priced $15 or more each. Most were not machine washable.
This prompted me to create another DIY Dog Mom Project.
DIY Dog Crate Cushions...
Earlier this month, a wonderful lady donated a bunch of goodies for our Bodacious Biscuit Love Care Packages. Inside the box was a bag of fabric to add to our collection. Included was a few yards of princess fleece.
I also had some odds and ends of quilt batting on hand.
Lisa measured Willa's crate. Based on the measurements, I had enough fleece to make 3 DIY Dog Crate Cushions.
I cut the Princess fleece and quilt batting down to size and layered it. I put the quilt batting down first. The 2 pieces of princess fleece went on top of that. I pinned, got my sewing machine ready, and gave it a good workout.
It took only a few minutes to sew each DIY Dog Crate Cushion. Once sewed, and leaving a 4 inch gap so I could turn the cushions right side out, I trimmed the sides a bit and snipped the corners.
After trimming, I turned them right side out. My excitement started to brew. Between using a good quality fleece and quilt batting, these DIY Dog Crate Cushions were soft, thick, and there was no shortage of cushion. Willa was going to love these!
I pinned the tiny gap that I left opened.
It took only a few minutes to sew up the gap. I wasn't worried too much about presentation because these DIY Dog Crate Cushions were for personal use.
It took about 2 hours to make 3 thick and soft, stuffing free, washable DIY Dog Crate Cushions.
If we had purchased 3 of the store bought crate cushions, on the cheap end, it would have cost us at least $45. That's not including tax.
Our total cost was right around $7.00 to make all 3.
Willa loves them. She can now rearrange her blankets and still have a nice cushion to sleep on.
I did my best to get a photo of this DIY Dog Crate Cushion Love, but every time I took the camera out and squatted down, Willa jumped on me to slather my face with juicy kisses.
Total. Dog. Mom. Photo. Shoot. Struggles.
I'll keep trying...
No comments:
Post a Comment