A Fence for the Dog and How I Broke my Toe
Today I want to tell you about my creative dog fence solution, when we had no good back doors on our house that we could open and let the dog out in a fenced yard.
We have a 100 pound dog who is 7 years old. At our old house, we had a nice fenced yard for her. Since we moved to Century Farms, while we have a lot of land— it wasn’t fenced.
Last fall after our dog ran across the road to great a neighbor who was walking their dog, I realized that we absolutely needed a fence. I do wish we had been able to make it a priority sooner, but…. well, we have no doors on the back side of the house.
Creative Dog Fence Solution
So we had a problem of — where to put a dog fence? We considered various options when we first moved in, but then gradually forgot about it and it wasn’t a priority. And then…. I had an idea. What if instead of using a door— the dog could just go in and out of a window? After all, a window is just like a patio door, a patio door that is smaller and opens up and down, instead of sideways.
And then, you put could a ramp or a set of steps out the window, that the dog could use since the bottom of the window is 5 feet off the ground on the outside. On the inside, we could put steps or let the dog use the already-existing loveseat to get up to and out of the window. What do you think of my creative dog fence solution idea?!
I thought it was a great idea and convinced my husband that it was a good idea, too. That was important, since he would be installing said fence. The next thing I did that helped convince him, was find a free chain link tennis court fence that was 10 feet tall. It was free to us if we removed it– posts and all.
So we did remove it– in 2 days with a third person helping. We cut the 10 feet in half lengthwise so that we would have a 5 foot high fence for our large dog. Fast foward through the winter and around March the details (like gates and such) get finished so the dog can start using her fence!
For the ramp we upcycled 2 shed doors end to end, and then added boards to help the dog keep her grip as she goes down the ramp.
New Dog Fence Idea
And these are the events that transpired next….. Be glad that now the dog has a fenced in yard with a newly DIY built dog house (dog mansion– with a porch!– more on that another time.) Be so glad that you had that great idea to use the window and a ramp since you don’t have a door.
You wouldn’t want the rather nice second hand loveseat to get all ruined from the dog using it to go in and out the window, so you could cover it. And then while you’re washing the cover, use some sheets to protect it for awhile.
When the fitted sheet comes loose, tuck it back in. Forget that the dog using the loveseat will cause the sheet to become untucked. Stand on the loveseat to close the window because the window is too high to reach on the inside of the house without standing on the furniture. Also, forget that you are now 47 instead of 17, and bound off the loveseat like a teenager.
And…. this is where “How I Broke my Big Toe” comes into the story….. Yes, my big toe got stuck in the fitted sheet. I couldn’t right myself. If only I had remembered my middle age and slowly crawled off, but no. I face planted onto the floor, landing mostly on my big toe, but kinda also landing on my shoulder, with my face smushed up into the cabinet that didn’t quite break my fall at all.
It hurt so much that I couldn’t move. I called for help. My daughter came to see me “sprawled all out like a cartoon.” She couldn’t believe me when I said the reason I couldn’t move was because my toe hurt so badly. Your TOE?! Well my shoulder, too, but it soon stopped hurting.
I put ice on my big toe. I kinda thought maybe I broke it, but it was 10 p.m. It’s really funny to tell the story, now that it’s all over. And it’s thanks to Providence that I didn’t break my nose or my neck as well. Where were my hands? usually one puts their hands out when they’re falling, spraining a wrist or something too in the process. I don’t really know how my hands and wrists escaped injury, except it all happened so fast. I think instead of putting my hands down I was putting them forward, to try to keep from completely smashing into that cabinet, but I’m not sure.
Another thing I don’t know, is which way my toe went– backward, forward, or just jammed into my foot. The foot doctor called it an avulsion fracture.
Just a few days ago, I very carefully hung one of those magnetic screen doors that attach with velcro, so that we could leave the window open and the dog could go in and out on her own without the bugs coming into the house. [No, I didn’t buy it new— I found it at the thrift store for about $4 of course!] I had to attach it on the outside, because it was too small width-wise to attach on the inside of the window. And after all, it works better on the outside, anyway. So I had stood outside on that ramp, reaching high up to attach the velcro— being very careful not to fall off the ramp and do anything dumb to injure myself like break a bone….
You might be interested to know that– this is my very first bone I have broken! Yes!
