Portiacakes update

So, at first, I was really hesitant to crate Portia as my vet had suggested. I thought if I made some other changes, crating her would not be necessary. And then, one night, as I lay in bed just about to fall asleep, I heard the UNMISTAKABLE sound of the portiacakes PEEING IN MY ROOM. I actually lay there for about 45 seconds having this internal monologue:
I DID NOT just hear that! Oh no she didn’t. She couldn’t have. She was outside on the patio for TWO HOURS before bed. she had PLENTY of time to potty. She couldn’t have. Garrgh! but she did! I KNOW SHE DID.

And so I woke up and sure enough, there was a ginormous pee puddle right in front of my door. She didn’t try to wake me up to have me put her out. she gave no indication that she still had a FULL bladder before going to bed. She just got out of her bed [her fluffy pillow], went to the door, peed, and went back to bed.

So Jenge helped me get her crate out, and I started crating her. Now, her crate is about 3 feet wide by 4 feet deep. It stays right by my bed. She can see me at all times. She has TWO fuzzy blankets in there for comfort and snuggles. The first night, she cried for 1 hour. By the end of the week, she was up to 6 hours of crying a night. It got to the point that Jenge came into my room one night [when portia was crated] and asked if I was going to bed or if I was going to read for a while. I said, [indicating portia and the wailing coming from the crate] that I had to finish lining her bed with steel spikes and jabbing her with a hot poker before I went to bed.

honestly! She makes it sound like I’m killing her! I’ve tried putting a blanket over the kennel, not putting a blanket, putting a clock next to hear, playing the radio, running a fan, giving her a smokey bone, no bone, giving her a snuggle toy, no snuggle toy. NOTHING WORKS. Currently, the vet has prescribed valium. The vet says now, portia is in a habit of making a scene and we need to break the habit so that she learns her crate is a happy place, where she gets to snooze uninterrupted.

Let me tell you, you wish you were as committed and stubborn as portia. loaded up on valium, she still manages to put in 45 minutes of protestations before finally curling up and going to sleep.

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