Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

It has been well established – at least, I think it has – that I am a huge fan of dog crates. Whether it’s just in the early stages of puppy training, or as a long-term retreat for your dog to chill out in, I think providing your puppy or dog with a safe space that is just their own is a great idea. And for a dog like Kodah, whose instincts tell him that he should always be on guard, ever alert for movement, intruders, or pizza deliveries, a crate allows him to clock off, relax, and just be concerned about the small space that is his.

For this reason, we have left Kodah’s crate up permanently. Without it, he seems to think that he needs to be alert at all times, ready to protect the house. Or in his case, be prepared to jump on and lick anyone who comes through the front door.

With the crate set up under the front window, it became a popular spot for one of our cats, Clutch. Eventually, he was joined by Ned and Fred, who realized that it gave them a great view of the comings and goings outside, as well as a spot in the warm sun.

Being such small creatures, it wasn’t a surprise that Clutch and The Boys managed to make themselves comfortable on top of the crate. What did surprise me, however, was when I found that Kodah had started enjoying his crate from above, not just within!

A New Way to Enjoy His Crate

Whenever Kodah does something he’s not supposed to, he tends to turn his head and avoid eye contact, a sort of “if I can’t see you, you can’t see me” logic. It was the eye contact-avoiding Kodah that greeted me the first time I found him curled up on top of his crate, obviously assuming that he was about to get in trouble.

The crate is built to contain a dog, not support their weight, and the top does bow quite a bit under Kodah’s 80-lb frame, but there was no way in the world I was going to tell him off when he looked so comfortable and sweet!

Plenty of Room For All

Fortunately, even with Kodah’s sizable frame relaxing on the mezzanine, there is still plenty of room for the original window posse, especially when Clutch doubles up as a warm, fluffy pillow!

If your dogs have any weird and wonderful sleeping spots, let me know in the comments below!