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December 17, 2009

Most nights, Lilly and Ginko sleep in the basement in their hard-sided crates. The temperature down there stays around 55 degrees year-round. Even on the crazy-coldest nights, like we’ve had over recent weeks, it stays steady. We treat them a bit like birds in that we cover their crates at night with some insulated drapes I once made for our dining room. As an experiment, I used my greenhouse thermometer that’s capable of showing temps both inside the crates and in the basement overall. Here are the results.

The digital thermometer, which can show maximum and minimum temps both inside something and outside it, confirmed that it’s indeed warmer inside the covered crates 59-64 degrees. Outside the crates, the temps measured between 55-59 degrees on a night where it was about 15 degrees outdoors.

So, inside their crated, covered snuggle dens, my sweetie pups stay plenty warm.

In fact, I’d bet that they often stay warmer than we do, if the fire goes out, the winds are blowing, and the temps drop.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. That’s a great idea, covering the crates! That also might work on a cold car-ride day, especially during stops for errands.

  2. I turn the thermostat down to 55 at night and snuggle under my comforter to stay warm. Java generally sleeps on the end of the bed and is panting so her coat keeps her plenty warm. In the morning though, she’s usually got her head on the pillow next to me and sprawled out like a people. Spoiled rotten but I sleep better with her there.

  3. It’s always a “two dog night” at our house, which is really good when the fire goes out. I think our weiner/beagle mix is the hottest little dog in the world. My mom should have had her when she was a kid as they kept a hot brick in their beds to keep them warm!
    Of course, having a hot dog in the bed is not so good in the heat of the summer!

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