Cody's Bassinet

Cody hates crates, he is absolutely deathly afraid of being 'enclosed' - our assumption is it brings back puppy mill memories for him. He also does not like being in anything covered and always has to be next to me.

That being said, we struggled with how we were going to implement his 6-8 weeks of strict crate rest. Our poor guy has enough to deal with without the added stress of being crated. My husband and I put our heads together and designed a homemade bassinet that would allow Cody to get through his rest period safe and comfortably.

Here's Cody's homemade bassinet. Cody and Mom both love it! Its 30x24 (just enough room to allow him to stand and and turn) made roofless with wooden dowels on the sides. We cushioned the bottom with memory foam inside a water proof dog bed cover. Then we put a pee pee pad on top and used blankets on the sides to support his back and head. The front is made of plexiglass (picture on the left is before we upgraded to the plexiglass) and a piano hinge so it can be opened and closed as needed.

The bassinet sits inside a platform with wagon wheels so we can move Cody about. Although we limit moving him to the bedroom at night and to the living room during the day. The platform is the same height as our bed so he feels as if he is still sleeping with 'the family' and I can easily tend to him at night.

The sides are 10 inches tall so he is unable to place his paws on top and attempt to jump out. This is not a concern now since his backside is paralyzed but once he gets feeling back we'll have to watch and make sure it's still safe. My husband and I both work from home so Cody is never left unattended, so this works perfect for us. If we worked outside the home we would likely have to go the ex-pen route.