Pegleg Starfish

That is a picture of the Boots & Barkley Pop-Open Kennel that I purchased this weekend at Target.  I love Target.  That’s not a picture of the one that I purchased (mine is blue), but you get the idea.  It’s made out of nylon and weighs like half a pound.  I purchased this to use as a back up kennel for Hurley.  Whenever I go anywhere with him (vet, dog park-Ok so those are the only two places he ever goes) I have to lug his metal crate out of the apartment and out to the car.  It’s heavy and awkward and I don’t enjoy doing it.  That’s just me being lazy because the car is actually right outside the door.  But nevermind that.  I had seen these pop up kennels at stores and thought it would be a perfect solution to my lazy ass. 

I purchased the small size and it’s plenty big for him.  I think it will serve its purpose nicely.  It’s one of those crazy things that can magically fold up into small, compact shape that is supposed to fit back into the carrying case that it came in.  I purchased this at Target, which is at the mall down the road.  It was a horrible traffic jam thanks to construction so I wanted to take a look at it.  Bad idea.  These folding-pop up things are dangerous and should not be opened in an enclosed vehicle.  I think there are other things like this, like kids play tents and…well, I’m sure there’s more.  But….be sure that you are in a ten by ten open outdoor area and be sure that all pets and children are at least ten feet away.  So the minute I took it our of the package it pretty much exploded.  Like a bomb only blue and not deadly.  Remember that I’m sitting in stand still traffic, so I wasn’t actually driving.  The kennel popped open so violently that I was almost injured and it somehow pressed itself against my horn-subsequently causing it to blow.  The people in front of me peered at me in their rear view mirror.  Houstonions like to honk, but it’s never for anything nice.  I’m sorry.  It was an accident.  Finally the traffic started to move and I didn’t have time to attempt to put it back into the tiny case that it came in. 

After I got home, I tried to fold the kennel back into it’s original shape.  I figured that it involved a few flicks of the wrists and voila! it would magically fold up.  Wrong.  I seriously messed around with that thing for at 20 minutes.  I flipped, folded, twisted, turned, contorted and could NOT get it to fold up.  I was so frustrated.  And then I decided to look at the directions.  Hehe.  They were absolutely no help.  The title of the direction sheet is ‘6 Steps to Folding Your Kennel.’  Six steps my ass.  It was a jumble of hand motions and arrows and verbage that made absolutely no sense.  I finally gave up and stuck the thing in the closet.  

But I’m determined to get that damn thing back in the case if it kills me.  Practice makes perfect!  I’m going to come back to it in a few days and give it another go.  Why you ask?  Because I am currently dating an engineer.  A genius engineer who will be returning to the country in about 4 weeks.  And I don’t want to live with the shame of having him waltz in the door, grap the kennel, flick his wrist and gently place the kennel, neatly back into the carrying case.  It’s hard dating someone like that.  But it makes me a much more determined person.  I don’t feel like getting teased and taunted for the next three years!

I’ll keep you updated.          

J