If you follow my blog, you know that Zekie is my problem child. Salvation Life is not easy with a no mistake dog. And his crate looks like it was built by the people at Fort Knox. Close. He has an Impact High Anxiety Dog Crate built by a wonderful company in Idaho. You can read about the crate and when we first got it, at the link above.

It was the only crate I could find that is guaranteed from dog damage as it is made from aircraft quality aluminum. The manufacturer will replace it, or parts of it, if the dog damages it. Why am I bringing this up now? You guessed it. Zekie has managed to start chewing through the metal plate that covers the main latch.

He is not in danger of chewing his way out yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I decided to act now, before it became an emergency. I contacted the manufacturer and they are indeed honoring the warranty. They are sending me a replacement cover along with the special drill bit that is needed to change it out.

I do not fault the company. I am happy with their product. Zekie is just a nut. He doesn’t have any fangs left and a number of his molars are cracked off from his regular attempts to escape from the crate. And, he is only a 34 pound dog. Heaven forbid, if he weighed 100 pounds! Yes, I have tried to treat him in many ways for this. All to no avail. (You can search the blog and read about some of these attempts.)

The thing that seems to distract Zekie the most when he is confined to the crate, is a Kong toy with peanut butter smeared inside and baby carrots or dog biscuits stuck into the peanut butter. The peanut butter glues the carrot or treat to the surface so he has to work harder to get them out.

If someone tells you that smart dogs are easier, don’t believe them. Zekie can hold a fine sit-stay or down-stay. He follows a wait command and directional commands. He also has a good comprehension of the English language and will often respond to complete sentences. That comprehension also enables him to think of ways to escape or get into to things that he’s not supposed to. Zekie is very good at following commands, you just have to give him commands all the time so he doesn’t think up his own mischief. And then there are times when he thinks he knows better than us. He will always be a work in progress.

Gotta love a Zekie Bear!