When Ares was a little puppy he occasionally had accidents in his crate before he was fully housebroken. He’s always been a bit of a diva and he didn’t like laying in the crate because I guess it wasn’t soft enough. In other words, not up to his standards. I didn’t want him going potty on blankets so he just got old towels. By Christmas time that year there was no more threat of accidents in his crate so the divider was gone completely and he got a bed in his crate. And of course every bed needs a blanket so Ares got his very own little blanket for Christmas from his cousins. The blanket has been around for over a year now and never once has there been pee, poop or vomit on it. It is not frayed or torn and there are no holes to speak of. I find this pretty miraculous really when you consider what this blanket has survived.
Ares loved his new blanket so much he slept with it every night and drug it around everywhere. When Chaos came along he even shared his blankie, although there somehow seems to be an understanding that it is Ares’s blankie and it is not to be destroyed. It’s been played with countless times, slobbered on, taken to daycare/boarding and washed a hundred times. And still the blanket has not only has survived, it has thrived.
When Ares got a new bed last year it also came with a new little blanket. He has accepted the new blankie into his life but obviously brown blankie does not compare to blue blankie. Blue blankie is still the one we find all over the house. And the one he won’t go into his crate without.
While Ares stays very loyal to his favorite blue blankie, Chaos is what you might call a blanket junkie. He too got a bed in his crate once he was housebroken. But I came home from work one day to find stuffing surround Chaos’s crate and him sitting there in the middle of what was left of his doggie bed. It looked like a mini blizzard had hit. This was when we discovered Chaos had some separation anxiety issues. Luckily it seems as though he’s over that phase, but we still haven’t bought another bed. That last one was really expensive and we can’t afford to have another one destroyed. So instead of a bed I got him some inexpensive blankets.
I found some at Old Navy for $10 one day so I bought 1 and then went back and got 2 more. I just put one on the bottom of Chaos’s crate and then the rest in the blanket basket by the couch. When I needed to wash the one in his crate I’d switch it out for a new one. But then I started to lay them on the floor so the boys could chew their toys on them instead of getting slobber on the rug. And then Chaos started dragging them into his crate and hoarding them.
Around Christmas time last year we came across a bin full of blankets for $5 at Walmart. They all had cute Christmas patterns so I scooped up 4 of them. Needless to say they all eventually ended up in Chaos’s crate. During the winter, especially since it has been so frigid outside, I let him just keep as many as he wanted to sleep with. I’d just wash them all every couple days. People would tell me it’s not like he knows if there are 2 blankets or 5. I tried putting only 2 blankets in after washing them and he just stared at me like where’s the rest? He knows.
Now that it’s finally getting above freezing he is fine with just 1 or 2 blankets in his crate. But he still loves to drag them around and lay on them in the living room and chew his toys on them. Most of them have holes now and are torn and frayed on the edges. Of course eventually those will have to retire and I’ll have to get some new ones. I think Chaos will be fine with that as long as he still has plenty to choose from. He doesn’t seem to have a favorite. As long as it’s soft he’s happy. And he’s not territorial with them either. He’s happy to share with the other animals. But he also expects that he can just barge on in if someone else is using one of the blankets, animals or humans.
So if you come to our place, just know that blue blankie is Ares’s. He might share with you but you can’t have it all for yourself unless you ask first. Chaos will let you have one of his many blankets for yourself no problem, but sooner or later, he’s probably going to join you.
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