Floored

Since January we have been prepping our living room, dining room, kitchen and entry to get new floors. During that time the dogs spent most of their time on the basement level wondering what the heck was happening upstairs.

Troy, working to remove the entryway tile

Well, last week the time finally arrived and the floors were installed! They are a type of product called luxury vinyl plank that are a bit like a click together laminate but are tougher and also WATERPROOF! Since we tend to regularly be house training our foster dogs and we have dogs who hate the rain so much they will pee in the house to avoid it waterproof is a big plus for us. The finish is also tougher than most laminates and hardwoods and has a lifetime guarantee.

The entryway now

Needless to say, we are very excited about this after living with worn out and stained carpet for years. But would the dogs agree with the change? Well, kind of.

(Above video) Chima listens curiously (and Frodo barks) while floors are being installed

(Above video) Dogs get to come upstairs and check out floors for the first time

Little old Tilly could care less. She had spent most of her time on vinyl flooring so she was used to the smooth surface. And Frodo and Obi just walked around, sniffed a bit and then went back to life as usual. I had gotten Frodo's long lost beloved chicken out and he was too busy making it honk to worry about a change in flooring.

Obi, who arrived at the tail end of the project, didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"I think I need a belly rub"

Obi (front) and Sal relax on some dog beds in the living room

Sal at first was not a fan and tiptoed around, going from area rug to area rug. Sometimes she doesn't mind it and at others she remembers that she could slip and gets a bit worried. It doesn't stop her from going up and down the stairs (still waiting to be finished so just bare wood now) from floor to floor to see what I'm up to.

Sal (left) and Chima preferring to wait on the entry rug and avoid the floor.

Chima though was beside herself. I knew she didn't like smooth floors but she is horrified by the changes. She tears, slipping and sliding fearfully from one rug to the next like she's playing a real live "hot lava game". In fact, she hates them so much that when I put their food down in their food cubbies at breakfast she wouldn't move from the rug she was on the 3 feet to her food bowl and sat there whimpering while Obi tried to make his move and help himself.

 Chima gingerly walking to the kitchen to assess the extent of this flooring disaster

Chima and Sal's food and water bowls back in their original locations as we reload the bookshelves. Chima won't eat there now so we need to change things up.

So what happens now? Do we just make her "get over it"? No way. While a dog's fear of smooth flooring may not seem rational to us, it is a very real fear and we need to be compassionate about that. Chima slipped on the smooth floor at the emergency vet when she was there being seen for another issue and hurt her back very badly. She has reason to be worried about the floor. With Chima we have a few ways we are working on it. First, I just ordered stair tread rugs and anti-skid tread pads so that when the stairs are finished she will easily be able to get up and down from the basement to main level without losing her footing. Then I am going to buy a runner to put in front of the shelving unit that holds their food bowls and the water bowl. And then finally we will do some reinforcing her when she chooses to walk on the floor or stand off the rugs. My hope is that given these changes, some  reinforcements and a bit of time she will start to feel at home in her space again.

Chima rests up from all the flooring madness