When German Shepherd and Husky mix, Lana, escaped three different crates, her owner Mark knew that he had to take action.
But what started as a DIY solution to an unusual problem has been dubbed “incredible” online, after he shared how they built their pup her very own custom “jail.”
“We had gotten her an impact crate, but as she grew it made us sad how tight it was,” Mark, from North Carolina, told Newsweek.
Instead of a traditional dog crate, Mark, who only shared his first name, came up with a brilliant idea—a custom space for the dogs with a metal door.
Before long, what was once a closet quickly became a space for the dogs to relax and be safe. Mark transformed it into a tiled haven with LVT walls, a custom metal door and even an air conditioning vent in the ceiling.
ocularcrawdad/Reddit
“It was decently expensive and a big job,” he said. “It used to be a closet but it opened to the bathroom. I had to close off the original door and create a new door to the bedroom.”
But the effort was worth it, knowing giving four-year-old escape artist Lana and 10-year-old Labrador George somewhere to kick back and relax.
“I even put a nest camera at the top corner so I can check in while we are gone. It turned out pretty awesome,” Mark added.
Dog crates are designed to provide dogs with a contained space, often used in training and popular with many pet owners, trainers, and veterinarians. Despite this, but they remain a subject of debate due to concerns about animal welfare and misuse.
He shared the DIY project on Reddit’s popular r/germanshepherds subreddit where it has gained more than 20,000 upvotes since being posted last week.
Captioned “crates couldn’t contain her so we built a jail…,” people shared their reactions and praise for the innovative dog-containment idea in the comments.
“Awe she even looks guilty,” wrote Hot_Target8701, pointing out Lana’s face in the pictures.
While Rose_like_the_flower said: “This is awesome! Poor sweet girl. I’m sure she was framed.”
“She needs a harmonica and a tin cup to bang on the bars,” joked Madame_Jarvary.
While others were heavily inspired by the idea. Like KevinSpicyy who said: “This is an incredible idea. I’m gonna have to involve this in my future home. Thank you for posting!!”
While SheBelongsToNoOne said: “It looks pretty comfortable and way better than a crate to be honest.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
