Crate Expectations - The Winner is Announced

Abby Lab is between 9 - 12 years old as best as we can tell, her having been dumped at a shelter with no info.  A mixed breed Lab - we're hoping she will live a long life, but as she ages, she has had normal dog issues.  Yogurt in the evening took care of any digestion issues but lately, when my husband was out of the country for an extended period of time on business, she had several "accidents" during the house in the nighttime (she has free roam of the house).

I didn't scold her, just cleaned it up. It might be stress, it could be normal aging, but several folks recommended crating her at night.  With the help of the staff at PetPeople Store (seriously, our favorite brick and mortar pet store), we got a crate big enough that she can sit up in it and it folds up easily in one piece with handles for easy transport.  It also has an entry door on the side AND the end.

My husband is just having some cuddle time with her and a new stuffie to get her used to it. We'll crate her for the night in a couple of days.  An old bedspread gives her a cozy feeling and we can drape more of the bedspread over it during stormy weather to make a cozy cave.  Hopefully, this will solve the night time issues so we don't have to let her out in the middle of the night.

But we need a name for her new kennel. Enter your first choice in the survey!

And we have a winner - submitted as "other" by Foley Monster, Pocket and River Song - "Downton Abby's". Second place was "Hair B and B" (original entry) and third place was "Abby Lab Pad", submitted by Lexi the Schnauzer's Mom Amy.  

She's getting used to it, going in and out of it to eat and get her favorite toys and treats which we place on the cushion.  We're giving her a week or two before she's in there overnight.  Until then, she is baby gated in the den overnight with the fancy rug up, and cheap rubber backed washable mats and some "training pads" from Chewy.com out in case she has to go during the night. In the den she has both a comfy bed and soft futon, neither of which she has had an accident on. She has an appointment at the Vet for Saturday to make sure there's not a physical reason for the sudden accidents in the house.