... And the dog starts barking. 3:00 am.

I decided to ignore her, but she did her metronome barking for the next 45 minutes. I am not kidding. She barked one bark every 30 seconds or so for 45 minutes. So after laying there trying to go back to sleep unsuccessfully, I got up.

She’s starting the barking earlier and earlier each day. Yesterday it was 3:40am when the barking started. I got up because I misread the clock and thought it was 4:40am. I hate to think how early the barking will start tomorrow morning.

I don’t know what to do about this. We walk her when we go to bed. We make sure she has a full water bowl (because she’ll bark for water, too - she has always consumed large quantities of water).

This can’t continue, but there are no good options. She’s too old to have someone take her - that didn’t work when ECD took her. She’s too healthy to put down. I can’t put her in the pound. But I also can’t continue getting up in the middle of the night to release the dog from her crate.

“Just go back to bed,” you say.

It isn’t that easy. When I’m up, I’m up. I can’t go back to sleep after I’ve been up and moving for more than a trip to the bathroom or to check on Jesse. Especially that close to actual wake up time.

I’m at my wits end.

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1. I know exactly what you mean. The old cat starts putting her paws in my face and up my nose at about 2:30. Usually its a food issue. I can kick her out of the bedroom and barricade the door, but its problematic whether I get back to sleep or not.

   Posted by  on  06/16/08  at  06:34 AM

2. Urk. No advice here as I have only dread for when that situation comes to us - as it likely will at some point. I sympathize completely with the “when I’m up, I’m up” feeling, as I’m exactly the same way.

   Hope you can find some sort of solution that will work for everyone!

   Posted by beth  on  06/16/08  at  09:02 AM

3. Uncle Bill, see the cat is easy. Just close the door - it’s the same with Mr. Kitty. At least he’s quiet. But the barking… *sigh*

   beth, it’s an awful predicament with no clear solution.

   Posted by  on  06/16/08  at  09:44 AM

4. Where is the dog’s crate?  On the main floor?  Why not put her in the basement?  Close your bedroom door, get a white noise machine and you should be good to go.  Maybe?

   Posted by Jaynee  on  06/16/08  at  10:33 AM

5. The crate is in the basement. We close the door to the basement. When the barking started, I closed our bedroom door. It was the same volume with the door closed as it was with it open. The barking is not that loud, I guess I’m just attuned to it.

   Posted by  on  06/16/08  at  10:43 AM

6. I’m not as wired as I was and I actually managed a light snooze for the 45 minutes of barking. Closing the bedroom door WITH the white/pink noise machine MIGHT work (although nothing has worked so far).  But that would only mean the foul *0@%%)@*## from *#)) has time to make her mess messier.  Arghhh!

   Posted by  on  06/16/08  at  11:44 AM

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