09/06/2024
So let’s use this video as a teachable moment…what the (%& #($& happened?
First, you should know a few things about Reed:
1. He LIVES for shredding cardboard and I regularly give him boxes filled with kibble and toys to “open”. It’s enrichment for a dog who needs activities but is limited due to his heart condition.
2. He gets VERY worked up when the other dogs bark, especially if the continuously bark. Normally I curb this kind of activity, but it can be hard to do that when I’m not home.
3. Reed also gets worked up when deliveries come to the house. He loves meeting people and I think it’s the fact that people come up to the door and then walk away without saying hi, that frustrates him the most. If I could let him meet every delivery person, I totally would, but again if I’m not home for the delivery, I can’t do anything.
4. He was crated. I don’t know if I didn’t latch it properly, or if he just managed to push on the door until it popped. I’m not sure because some dog ate the cable to the living room camera (Reed) while I was out mowing a couple weeks ago.
Okay, so what led up to the destruction and what did he destroy? From what I could gather from the other cameras and the number of packages on my porch…I had at least 6 different deliveries on Tuesday while I was at work. For some reason, a few of the deliver people knocked on the door when they dropped their package off. (I hate this and don’t understand why they do this) Knocking on the door is going to make the dogs bark, which is good. I want anyone coming to my front door to know that I have large dogs in my home. I think that’s with every knock, delivery, and barking episode, Reed got more and more frustrated, which isn’t good for his heart. And considering what the frustration could have done to him, I will gladly take destruction of property versus coming home and finding him dead.
For the most part, he really only destroyed the cardboard packaging of furniture that I bought and had yet to put together. He did manage to rip open a box of toilet paper (thank God the pandemic is over…knock on wood) and then peed on most of the roles after freeing them from their protective plastic wrapping. He also shredded two filters for my HVAC system, which honestly, I should have put the filters in as soon as they were delivered. And also got into a box of Old Mother Hubbard dog biscuits (I have a feeling he won’t be wanting those anytime soon), and a 90 count jar of hip and joint supplements. That is what scared me the most. I made a quick and scary call to a pet poison line who said that due to the product, his size, and the amount of diarrhea and/or vomit (it was really impossible to tell) that he should be fine but needed to be closely monitored, which I did. Thankfully, he seems no worse for the wear.
So I guess that brings me to my final part…how can I prevent this in the future. Well, first and foremost, I’m securing his crate better with the used of zip ties and multiple carabiners. The zip times because I realized today that while the carabiners kept him in his crate, he did manage to pop the backside off of the hooks holding it in place. Will the zip ties keep him contained? I guess we will see, but I’m pretty much using that at “weak points” in the wire crate, so anywhere that two sections meet and are held in place by those U-shaped hooks. The carabiners should prevent him from popping the crate door open. But again, if he’s really determined, he could get out of the wire crate. I’ve seen many dogs do it, for various reasons, and these crates are not escape “proof”.
I’m going to set up cameras again that will notify me of noise and movement. Again this is more reactionary than proactive, but at least I can attempt to talk through the cameras and hopefully persuade the dogs to stop whatever they’re doing.
I’m also going to take advantage of the “schedule your delivery” option that most delivery services offer. Could I try to work with each dog individually around their barking when packages are delivered…probably. But why not make things easier on myself and just schedule deliveries for when I will be home and then if i choose to do so, I can be prepared and work with the dogs then.
Will I continue to give Reed cardboard to shred? Absolutely…he loves it! And I can fit so much more cardboard in my bin when it’s shredded versus whole boxes that I’ve flattened and attempted to shove in the bin.
Lastly, do I still have packages sitting around in cardboard boxes, just BEGGING Reed to free them from their corrugated enclosures…You bet I do! Because I will never learn…and honestly, where would you all be without the chaos that is my home? You’re welcome!
