Monday, September 29, 2014

Pool Solution

So, you may recall, that Henry has taken a couple of unauthorized, unexpected dips in the swimming pool recently. Since he has to cut through the pool area to get the backyard to go potty, we realized the urgency that this scenario has presented. There were a few people who suggested a litter box for dogs, letting him just have accidents in the house, putting an alarm in the pool, etc. There were multiple solutions and opinions offered. (Not just by OBP readers but other friends, family and neighbors, too.)

Well, we like to think of ourselves as problem solvers, too. And we had an initial vision of what we wanted. Or maybe what I should say, is what we wanted was for Henry to have his vision! LOL. If ya can't laugh at his missing left eye, you'll cry, right? So, anyway, of course we would want his vision back but we did have a plan in mind.

It entailed making a barrier that prevented him from gaining access to the area where he tends to have troubles and just block his access to the pool, in general. However, we had to be sure that we were still meeting Cupid's squirrel hunting needs! She needs total access! She can't just sit around and not get up close and personal to the squirrel just on the other side of the screen!

So, as you can see, this is what we came up with. It is just sturdy enough that it isn't going to blow over or fall into the pool should a gust of wind come along and the space at the first and last cones allows Cupid wiggle room to get through. Henry is not the type to challenge the barriers and so far he is behaving as though they have been there his whole life.

We were a little bit concerned that in his general clumsiness he may get "tangled" in the orange webbing but after a little bit of use so far, we think that won't happen. Fortunately we are not so house proud that the eye sore of the bright orange warnings that go for 30 feet on the pool deck pose no true design problems for us. It is for sure an ugly solution but it is one that works for Henry (and Cupid) and that is really all we are worried about, their safety and contentment.