Freestanding Dog Gate

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Anyone who knows me well knows that the past 5 months have been extremely challenging for me. All because of one simple, 3-letter word: DOG. I figure I must need some serious sanctifying work in my life right now because I was perfectly content being pet-free. ;)

Anyway, one of my new challenges as a pet owner has been keeping said pet out of my kitchen which happens to have not one but two entryways. The kitchen is a pretty active place since I'm a stay-at-home, homeschool mom of 3. Plus, my husband works from home, too. Five people + one dog = a kitchen that is too crowded!

I finally got tired of having a puppy under my feet while working in the kitchen, especially since he's a big puppy. Cooking was quickly becoming a dangerous activity! For both of us.

I got tired of having to push away a furry face and a slobbery pink tongue every time I opened the fridge. Oh goodness, and the slimy slobber marks all over the fridge doors just about killed me.

I got tired of worrying that this bundle of activity was going to bump into my beautiful hutch filled with meaningful treasures.

I got tired of pushing big, stinky paws off of the counter tops. On a few occasions his slimy tongue sneaked licks of food on the counter. Ugh.

You get the idea.

At first my frustrations compelled me to block off both entryways with kitchen chairs. It worked, but it was neither convenient nor attractive.

HUBBY TO THE RESCUE WITH DOG GATES! 

Even though it was a sacrifice, I am so thankful that my husband chose these Dynamic Accents freestanding wooden pet gates (handcrafted by the Amish) that keep our walls from getting scuffed up and that match our kitchen perfectly. For dog gates, they're not eye sores.

*My sweet husband knew that a dog-free kitchen would restore some of my sanity.*

If you've been considering a dog gate, I thought I'd tell you about the ones we bought - 20" Kensington Freestanding Gate - in order to help you with your decision making. 

What's Included

• 2 pre-assembled gate panels
• 2 wood gate feet
• 2 feet attachment bolts
• 2 3/4" rubber support bumpers 

Assembly

• You will have to apply the support bumpers.
• You will have to attach the gate feet to the gate panels with a Phillips Head Screwdriver.

Features

• Hardwood
• Expands by sliding without the use of tools - super easy to do!
• Rotatable legs for easy storage
• No installation required
• Variety of colors available: warm white, mahogany, black, artisan bronze
• Height: 20"
• Adjustable length: fully expands to 49" (measuring from the bottom including feet) - shortens to 29" (measuring from the bottom including feet)

Thoughts

Positive 

Although the description says that the 20" gate is designed to be used with small animals that can not jump over or push gate out of position, our 60 lb. lab mix puppy who is almost 7 months old respects the barrier. He has bumped into it and has accidentally moved it a little bit, but he doesn't try to jump over or push it out of the way on purpose to get into the kitchen. It's like he KNOWS that I don't want him in there! I can't predict, though, if this will change when he's older and probably 30-40 lbs. heavier. I have a feeling that he will still respect the barrier since we are actively training him during the puppy stage. 

I am pleased with the way the gates look and how they blend right in with our kitchen cabinets. Like I said earlier, they're not eye sores or anything. I also like that they are made of wood and not plastic.

I personally wouldn't have minded gates that attach to the walls and swing open, but because the ones we bought are only 20" high, they are easy for everyone in the family to safely step over without falling. Our youngest is 11. 

Negative

One of our gates came with a plastic glide that is slightly cracked. (Noted in the picture below) Unfortunate, but we didn't send it back because we wanted to start using the gates right away. We applied a piece of clear tape that seems to be doing the trick for now. The edges of the plastic glides are somewhat sharp. In fact, I cut my knee on one of them when trying to step over the gate one time.

*Update: we received a brand new plastic glide to replace the cracked one, free of charge. Great customer service.

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Other than that one cracked plastic glide and my knee mishap, the gates are great and have been doing the job we want them to do! Below are a few more pictures: the first shows the gate shortened, the second shows the cracked glide, and the third shows another angle with our puppy. :)

Other Sizes and Colors

This style gate also comes in a larger size standing at 30" instead of 20". This size may be better for larger dogs, but because this style is not attached to the wall, there is still the possibility of a large dog being able to push the gate out of the way.

Larger size: Dynamic Accents Free Standing Wooden Pet Gate, Size - Large / Warm White

Other colors (small size): black, artisan bronze, and mahogany


If the 20" or 30" Kensington Freestanding dog gate isn't exactly what you're looking for, Dynamic Accents offers a variety of other pet gates that you might want to check out.

*Please note that the only gate I am familiar with is the 20" gate.

While this handsome puppy in the photos may have captured my heart, I still don't want him in my kitchen. I love having my kitchen back, and I love being able to enjoy my little sitting room right off the kitchen without a dog underfoot. :) Freestanding dog gates work for me! Hopefully they will work for you, too.

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May ~ So Much to Love About Spring (and other stuff)

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Fairy garden love

My daughter and I started a fairy garden several years ago. It's so fun to make it different each spring and fall.

Regular garden love

Love the bench my hubby brought home from his outing at Merchant Square in Chandler. :)

Mother's Day celebrations

Breakfast and shopping with my mom and sister.

Flowers and chocolate from my sweet kids.

Celebrating our 19th anniversary

Peach picking and peach cooking

Apple picking from my own trees

Son officially taller than dad

Oh, this dog!

Going to the dog park has become a regular part of our lives. We go several times a week. It's nice to have a place where Kylo can run and sniff and play without constantly being told "No!" for something or other.

For the most part, Kylo plays nice, but he's still so young and can be annoying at times. ;) Here, though, these 2 dogs are having bunches of good fun.

One thing I just don't get is when people bring their small dogs to the big/active dog side and then get upset because your big/active dog is acting like a big/active dog. Hmmmmm.

I dared to try the pool again, and this time it was a success! Kylo didn't drink gallons of water and played a little less crazy.

Poor thing just plain tuckered out on one of his longer walks with Shiloh and me. We let him rest for a bit, and I even tried carrying him. That boy's gotten heavy!!!

Goodness, the sweetness of this girl and her doggie make me melt. :)

Memorial Day weekend Sunday drive to Sedona

The drive was beautiful.

But there was lots of traffic!

So green and peaceful and lovely in this spot.

I know. A silly car selfie + a cute little photo bomber.

Kylo is such an awesome car rider, thank goodness. :)

When he wasn't sleeping, he was enjoying the car ride. The only times he was a bit difficult were when we had to take bathroom breaks or get food. We'd take turns staying in the jeep with him, but he'd still whine and try to pace a bit waiting for whoever was gone to get back.

Too bad we weren't able to hike any trails due to overcrowding and no parking. Memories: trying to find somewhere to eat our subway lunch and ending up in a Wal-greens parking lot; Venti frappuchinos + one puppuchino. ;)

How to Keep Puppies Clean & Shiny

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I'm kind of a nut case when it comes to cleanliness. Having a new puppy definitely creates quite a challenge for me in this area. ;) Dogs are a bit icky, so in order to remain somewhat sane, my puppy gets a daily Burt's Bees wipe down!

I'm already a huge Burt's Bees fan. I use their lotions, lip glosses, chapsticks, etc. on a daily basis, so when these Burt's Bees multipurpose wipes caught my eye while I was searching for a puppy toy, I snatched them up!

Our puppy, Kylo, gets a good wipe-down from head to tail and back to belly usually every night. I end up using more than one per day if he has as accident in his crate, which, thankfully, hasn't happened in a couple of weeks. And one time, he just needed a real bath. My daughter says it isn't good for dogs to get too many real baths, so these Burt's Bees wipes are the perfect solution for staying clean and shiny!

Even though there really isn't a strong fragrance, the wipes make my puppy seem all fresh and clean. It makes me feel better, too, and that matters a lot!

Kylo definitely got a good wipe down after playing at our local dog park!

*If you can't find the wipes in your local store, you can order them on Amazon by clicking the picture below. I found mine at Wal-Mart for about half the price of the ones on Amazon. I did see a hypoallergenic version of these wipes on Amazon, though, that I didn't see in the store, and they are more reasonably priced. :) Although I have not used them, I've included a link in case those sound like a better option for your pet.

Burt's Bees Multipurpose Wipes work for my puppy and me!

Linked to WFMW. Funtastic Friday

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