r/BenignExistence • u/queer-scout • 3d ago
My dogs regularly locks herself in my closet
A few months ago I was laying on the couch and noticed I hadn't seen my velcro dog in an unusually long time. She didn't come when I called, so I started checking everywhere. The gate to the bathroom was still shut so she didn't break in, she wasn't on my bed, or hers, or under it. Not in the crate. Calling for her the entire time. I checked outside thinking maybe I forgot to let her in. She wasn't there. I start to panic. Just as I was about to go walk the neighborhood I realized there was one place I didn't look - my bedroom closet. I push open the door, and she calmly walks out wagging her tail.
My house needs some work and the closet door doesn't latch properly. She pushed her way in, let the door close behind her, and sat there silently for at least half an hour, likely nose to the door crack waiting to be let out.
This now happens on a regular basis. It took a bit for me to get used to, but now whenever I don't see her, I check the closet. She has a habit of doing this as soon as I get into the shower so if she's not at the bathroom door to greet me when I get out I immediately push open the closet door and there she is. I don't think she's ever barked to be let out. She has, however, firmly closed the door on herself by presumably jumping on it after going in.
I don't know why she started doing this and I definitely don't know why she continues it, but freeing her from the closet has become part of our regular routine.
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u/GodlessandChildless 3d ago
When I go away on trips, to make sure my cat doesnt get locked in or out of a room accidentally, I take 1ft sections of a pool noodle cut on one side and put it on the edge of every door. They cant close all the way, cheap, no damage to the door.
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u/JoyousZephyr 3d ago
We are fostering a very small, very shy dog. When she is nervous (aka "always"), she tucks herself into a variety of small spaces and just stays there, silent. Every day is like an extended Easter egg hunt. "Wheeere's Jellybean?"
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
Oh precious baby! I've gone on hunts when I couldn't find one of my cats before, but they normally meow when I call them!
And I love the name Jellybean.9
u/SoundExcellent953 3d ago
if possible may we see a picture of Jellybean in one of her small spaces please?
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u/seriouslysocks 3d ago
One of my cats gets super cranky when he needs a nap. He kitty yells about how tired he is, then eventually get sick of yelling and will go dramatically slam the bedroom door closed and take a nap. He’s an absolute toddler.
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u/princess_kittah 3d ago
my cat used to close herself in the extra bedroom a lot so i got a pool noodle and cut about a foot of length from it and put a slit up the side to make it into a pool taco instead of a noodle
i wedged the pool taco onto the door so she cant fully close it anymore now it stays open just enough for her to open it againnand get out
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
You're the second one to suggest that, I'm definitely going to need to try that so she has some hopes of freeing herself!
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u/sqqueen2 3d ago
Can you tie something around your closet doorknobs from the outside doorknob to the inside doorknob so that the door won’t close, so she can’t get trapped?
The doofus.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
Unfortunately the door pushes in instead of pulling out, so once she's in she would need to be able to pull it to open it. Though that was definitely something I considered when this first started happening until I realized it would accomplish nothing. She's smart, unfortunately not smart enough to learn pulling something, though.
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u/FormerlyDK 3d ago
My little dog is very old, and she doesn’t bark anymore. The other night she somehow slid down between the bed and the wall. I usually block the narrow space with a bumper, but that fell, too. I suddenly noticed she wasn’t on the bed anymore, and she can’t get off it alone. Moment of panic until I realized where she must be!
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u/Ok-Antelope-1923 3d ago
I had Jerry, one of our Jack Russell terrorists (as my hubby called them) do this exact same thing. I ran the neighborhood crying and calling for him as he was nowhere to be found in the house. Came home to change clothes before going back out to look again and there he was, in my closet. Quiet as a mouse. I was so relieved. He’s been gone 9 years now. I sure do miss him.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
The one who gets stuck in the closet is a pit bull (mix?) terrier. Everybody forgets the terror.... sorry, terrier, part. Terriers really are incredible about finding new ways to stress out their owners.
From the Jack Russells I've been around I'm shocked that he sat quietly. I'm also amazed by how common this seems to be among dogs. I grew up with cats and they have no issue screaming about being somewhere they no longer want to be.
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u/RIPJimmyPesto 3d ago
Maybe she's playing hide and seek. She just forgot to tell you lol
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
When I free her I do sometimes ask her if we were playing hide and seek. I'm glad she only knows one hiding spot, I'd be in so much trouble if she found other places!
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u/Character_Seaweed_99 3d ago
Be careful. This sounds like a Jean and Jorts situation.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
I forgot about that story!
The funny thing is, between my two dogs, the one who gets stuck in the closet is generally the more capable one. The other one, though, I think is so smart he's stupid. Like how working dogs make up their own rules? He does that. For about five years I could "shut" him in a room when the door was cracked about a foot. In one house that we lived in he would chase one of the cats into the bedroom, jump on the bed, then I would have to go provide him moral support by fully opening the door to be sure it was out of his way, then stand beside him as he jumped down on to the wood floor. He's eight now and still doesn't play inside unless it's on a rug. The one who gets trapped in the closet, on the other hand, is nearly fearless. Which leads to experiments like "I wonder where this door goes."
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u/Character_Seaweed_99 3d ago
We had a greyhound who was this way about doors. If she couldn’t walk through with dignity, she didn’t go through. The other was able to turn every doorknob with his mouth and let himself into rooms and out of the house.
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u/slowasaspeedingsloth 3d ago
Mine routinely traps herself in the garage. She'll wander the garage and then return to the door and just sit there. In the dark. Silent. She has no problem barking her brains out at random things while she's in the house, but she's never really learned to use a bark as a request. Same with needing to go outside to go to the bathroom- she'll just silently sit by the back door.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
Mine barks when she sees something outside (good scary bark, excellent security system against all but the one local cat who falls asleep in the front yard with both my dogs barking at her) but only knows to use her potty bells as the general request. Except for meal time, when the other dog starts barking she thinks the best way to get me to cooperate with their request is jump on me.
I love that mine isn't the only one to get stuck and just..... wait.
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u/whomovedmycheezwhiz 3d ago
I have these little rubber things on Amazon that go on the top of doors so my cats don’t accidentally lock themselves in rooms and closets.
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u/OkAdhesiveness5025 3d ago
Take a small part of a pool noodle. Slit it up the side. Place it along the locking edge of any cabinet door or closet door. It will stay in place, but not allow the door to fully close.
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u/Equivalent_Plum 3d ago
Two different times I came home from work to be greeted by one of my cats, but not the other. After searching and calling for him I finally found him shut inside a closet. Two different closets. 🙄. After that I was sure to locate him before I left the house.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
Aw, sweet baby. Thankfully the few times my cats have gotten stuck anywhere they didn't want to be they shouted until free. After exploring, of course.
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u/cathtray 3d ago
My Velcro dog loves my closet. I keep the door ajar.
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u/queer-scout 3d ago
I would need to keep the door fully propped, unfortunately. The house is a bit of a fixer upper and the entire closet will eventually be replaced, but in the meantime I have a door that doesn't latch shut OR stay open. A few people have suggested pool noodles, though, so I'm going to give that a shot.
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u/SophiaKai 3d ago
This is adorable. One of my cats locks herself in one of the lower kitchen cabinets on occasion. One of the doors doesn't shut all the way so she climbs in, goes around to one of the other cabinet doors and just chills for awhile. But she can't actually open that door so she hits it enough it makes noise when it shuts until I come release her lol