My cabin in the woods

I've been living in the puppy shed ever since we got Allison, coming to the house to eat, work, and shower. I don't know that I really need to be out there still, but I think Allison has decided that it's where the two of us live and I hate to abandon her. It's been sort of fun really, sort of like camping but with more amenities. I've begun to think of it as my cabin in the woods.

It has two window unit air conditioners but now I've also brought out a heater when the nights got chilly. I've been organizing the space, most of my dog stuff is out there, although really there is still dog stuff in many other parts of our house. I had added a dog door last summer although I haven't had it open for Allison to use just yet. I'm not sure why. 

We've been pretty comfortable out there. My cot is actually quite comfortable and now Allison has taken to laying on it during the days occasionally if I don't stand it up to get it out of the way. There's plenty of space while the puppies are still confined to the whelping box. By the time they are out of that, Allison and I should be back in the house. 

We had a real electrician run power out there this summer. Previously we had been running everything off two long extension cords that ran from the other two sheds. Our wifi signal reaches out there so I've had television, using a small one that I brought back from my mother's place last fall. We've decided that this is going to be a dedicated dog space, so I'm even considering finishing the interior a bit more. 

We really don't have a place in the house that is large enough and separate enough for mother dogs with puppies, so this has been invaluable. I said that I didn't need to do the puppy thing again after Della had hers, but then there was Luna with her shepherd pups, and Lexie with hers, and now Allison, so I'm going to stop lying to myself. It's not an ideal place, but it's pretty useful. It's my cabin in the woods, a/k/a Della's home for wayward mothers.

This is the business end of the cabin, built out with shelves. I've got puppy supplies on the top

shelves, other dog stuff, some tools, electronics, etc. That desk is one I brought back from 

Kansas. It had been in my mother's basement and had originally come from my father's family.

It's not a valuable antique, but it's very solid, useful, and a perfect fit for this space.

A work table with scale. That dog bed below I plan to pull out for Allison to use.

Here's a view of the whelping box. Yes, it's irregularly shaped, I used what I had.

Allison prefers the bathmats over blankets and they do work well. The pups can move 

around on them pretty well.

A stack of blankets on another chair that is currently blocking the dog door.

That red bucket is full of Allison's food. She's eating 5-6 times a day and I think 

she has started putting on weight now. I always add a lot of water to her food

to help with milk production. So far, she's got plenty.

That's Sojo (Sojourner), nestled up against Allison's head.

Does your Dane sleep in odd, uncomfortable positions? This is where it starts.

That's Susan B., draped over Allison's leg. Spines are very flexible at this age.

Sojourner is doing better with the bottle feeding now that I got one with a

smaller nipple. I think she's beginning to pick up a little weight, but 

we've got a long way to go. Everyone else is doing well. 

Allison laying on my cot after rearranging the bedding to suit her.

The cabin is located in the backyard. The dog yard is to the left, Daneland to the right, 

in the shade of a couple birch trees and a sycamore. I recently planted a third birch

in front to provide shade from late afternoon sun. The pasture is behind. When it was 

delivered, the guy who delivered it stood back when it was done and said that it

looks like it's always been there. It fit in very well and it's very well built.