Saturday, I met up with Ruby, the dog, and Sarah (the trainer) at the vaccination clinic to get Ruby’s shots. It was the first time I’d seen either of them in two weeks. I was so excited. The day after this, Ruby would finally come home to live with us. I had already spent time with Ruby twice and knew she was “the one.”

Meanwhile, at home, Hannah and I were playing Beat-the-Clock, trying to get the kennel/dog run completed in time for her arrival. It was hella-hectic! If you knew what we’ve been through, you’d kinda pity us. It was time-consuming and expensive. Lots of trial and error on this thing.
I’d been making many plans for a dog run for many months. I’ve been saving money to build it on the side of my house, talking to our landlords about it, and getting bids from contractors and handymen. I changed these plans several times. I finally purchased a 10 x 10-foot readymade kennel. The plan was to hire a handyman to put it together, cut a hole for the dog door (an expensive sliding glass door insert), and have that installed as well. The doggie door insert was extra expensive because it had to have a super tight, magnetic seal on it so no other varmints could get in here. I also wanted kennel decking tiles put down, which are pretty straightforward and click together. It all seemed simple enough. I was willing to pay $500 to the guy to do this, and he agreed.
It didn’t go so well. First of all, the tarp roof didn’t fit under the eves on the back of the house, which posed a conundrum. Not the guy’s fault, of course, but he did put it on sideways. That meant the rain would run off into the sliding glass window. He also put the fence connectors on backward and unevenly so they weren’t level. He didn’t finish the dog door installation either and used the wrong screws, too. We had him come back to put the roof on correctly, which upset him, and then he demanded more money after the fact. He said he would have just turned the entire cage instead of spending the time to re-do the roof, but that would have put the openings in the wrong places. That doesn’t even make sense. But we gave him the extra money to make peace with him.
We re-did all the other mistakes ourselves. We also had to buy more fencing to build a kind of tunnel from the dog door to the kennel under the eves. And we were about to figure out a roof for that part when a crazy windstorm came a couple of days later. It pulled the entire cage to and fro, and the tarp roof acted like a giant sail. We realized that roof was no good for living up here in the highlands. We sometimes get 80-mile-an-hour winds here, and this storm was only 30 mph! We even have a wind-blocking wall, which did nothing.

We realized we needed to build a flat, wooden roof. Well, Hannah did. Ha. So, off to Home Depot she went to get 12-foot tongue-in-groove planks, shoved them in my car, and got to work over the weekend.

And with 20 minutes to spare, she anchored it down and finished it right before Sarah brought Ruby over.


Now, we have to teach her the doggie door, which has been a challenge, mostly because the door needs a strong push (I think). It’s got heavy magnets in it to secure an eco-seal to ensure harsh weather can get into the house. I think she’ll get the hang of it. She seems smart. She is a German shepherd/heeler mix. She’s on the small side, barely 38 pounds, and is two years old. I love that she’ll never grow into these spectacular ears!


It’s been three days today now, and I think she likes it here. No major issues so far. She’s pretty mellow overall. She craves a lot of attention, which is all good by me; I have plenty to give. She loves her toys. She likes it when we sing to her. She’s smart, protective, playful, and curious. Also, sweet, friendly, funny (and screwy). We are still learning each other’s personalities. And she’s been learning that I’m spoiling her silly. I can’t help it; it’s NBS! (New Baby Syndrome.)

Thank you for adopting and this was hilarious. Beautiful dog.
Thanks Emily. It’s great hearing from you! Hope you’re well.