DOODLE CAVE

By Thursday, July 4, 2019 6 No tags Permalink

It’s after six o’clock in the afternoon on the 4th of July, and the Boys Doodle Cave is finally habitable. And not a moment too soon I might add, because in approx. three more hours – armageddon will begin…

I am of course referring to the dreaded fireworks display.

Living in the Historic City limits of Charleston provides access to so much. We love it!

From unique shops, and public parks filled with historic recreational events, to “out of this world” culinary cuisines. Don’t get me started on the nightlife – in addition to “live” anything, you’d like to hear, ice cream and cupcake shoppe’s remain open till 2AM on the weekends!!!

Unless you’re a grocery store – just about everything else is pet friendly. To me this is the icing on the cupcake! #punintended

But the one downfall about city life that tops my list would be the fourth of July celebrations. 

Living within walking distance from several parks, and the baseball stadium – we are guaranteed a spectacular light show for at least the next four nights whether we want one or not.

This frightens the Boys and it drives me nuts.

We all know it’s natural for dogs to be afraid of loud noises. The sounds trigger their nervous systems and as a result they become afraid and anxious.

The sudden BOOM from fireworks are different than thunder. There’s no barometric pressure to alert them a severe storm is brewing. There are no warnings.

The noise is unpredictable and many dogs perceive this to be a real threat. This explains why some dogs react with either –flight or fright response, whine, cry or like Jaxson – try to dig a hole in corners of our hardwood floors. 

TESTING OUR DOODLE CAVE – 

We’re close to wrapping up our home renovations (that’s another blog post!) and the cosmetic phase happens to be my favorite part.

Our master bedroom

Second to a new kitchen, I wanted to convert the adjourning bedroom into a full closet #mydream

This left no real need for the existing closet in the master bedroom. 

I decided to create a “Doodle Cave” for the Boys. A sweet spot just for them when they weren’t lounging on our bed of course…

We tore off the sliding closet doors, and ripped out the clothing rod. A few sheets of drywall, a fresh coat of paint and VOILA a place to call their own…

I intend to add a little molding around the frame, order a few of those adhesive 4X6 photo frames to decorate the walls. 

Way above Jaxson’s head we have enough height to add three shelves for a few decorative items. I’m contemplating on whether I want to purchase two of those round battery operated push lights under the last shelf to give them some dim lighting…

My goal was to have this finished BEFORE the 4th of July. Even though the new beds haven’t arrived – they’ve been sleeping in there for the past week and I’d like to think they appreciate it #keepinghopealive

HAPPY FOURTH TO ALL – 

Make the most of your holiday weekend doing whatever you have planned, and please be safe.

As for us, whatever we do, we’ll do it together so the Boys are not “home alone”

Thanks for reading…


6 Comments
  • Ducky's Mom
    July 4, 2019

    Thankfully, Ducky doesn’t seem all that bothered by fireworks. She barked at the first 4 or 5 earlier this evening, but now she’s asleep in the corner of the couch closest to my chair. Hubby and I are watching “Casablanca” – I’m a Bogie fan, what can I say – and the fireworks are barely audible now. Happy 4th and Weekend!

    PS. Love the idea of the Doodle Cave!!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 6, 2019

      I was pleasantly surprised that the Boys remained relatively calm on the 4th. There were a few late night celebrators but by then I was in my bed and they were tucked nicely in their Doodle Cave so all went surprisingly well. Now we did have a great deal of rain both Thursday and Friday night. Today’s Saturday and it looks like a clear day so paws and fingers crossed that we will not have make-up fireworks this evening! Hugs to Ducky!

  • Madison
    July 5, 2019

    Mom and Bailie hate the 4th of July because of the fireworks. It starts on weekends weeks before and will go for weeks after. Yesterday, the boomers started in the early afternoon and got worse as the day wore on. Bailie was pretty good once Mom went to bed at 9. Within 15 mins she was sleeping and no longer shaking, but the noise went on for a couple hours. Mom hates it because she can’t sleep and she gets up early. Once a year would be fine, but it is way out of hand these days. Hope the boys did alright. Olivia went out to go potty and didn’t mind all the noise and smoke at all. I don’t mind them either.

  • Monika, Sam & Elsa
    July 5, 2019

    I’m with you on the whole 4th celebrations. Despite being illegal, professional grade boomers have been rocking the neighborhood all week and last night was so deafening and terrifying. Both dogs went berserk and I turned into the crazy lady who confronted complete strangers in the alley behind my house about the illegality of their celebrations. Twice. And then called the police. Between veterans suffering from PTSD, survivors reliving mass shootings, and pets were terrorized, it was the worst 4th of July night since I moved into this neighborhood. I wish people would think twice before doing this.

    Your renovations are coming along nicely and I suspect the boys are loving their new cave. I know I would

  • World Of Animals, Inc.
    July 18, 2019

    We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that the booms weren’t too many this year to scare you. Thanks for the share. Have a beautiful rest of your day.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 23, 2019

      Thank you so very much! The Doodle Cave made a significant difference but the real test will be when the Citadel plays it’s first home football game. Every touchdown signals the cannon (yes, I said cannon) to go off. It’s unpredictable and it scares the doodle out of the Boys. Paws crossed the cave works for that as well.