Day 4: Declutter & Clearify

Aug 4

It’s the Dog Days of Summer when we want to laze in the sun and do nothing. Not for this gal! I tackled the mudroom this morning. I went over my 10 minutes because one shelf led into a cabinet. I could have easily fell into the rabbit hole but I walked away.

The mudroom is a catch all for our lives with shoes, laundry, cleaners, and dog supplies, as well as their dog food and bowls. The dogs were my focus today. There are so many stories of my two rescue dogs. Zoey was the result of a rendezvous between neighbors—she’s a black lab and Akita mix. Dakota is black lab, shepherd, and long legs and was found in a dumpster in Tennessee when he was younger than 12 weeks old.

puppy--gray with white patch on chest — Zoey Shadow at 12 weeks old

Puppy--Black lab mix lying on grass — Dakota at 12 weeks old

I have to say that I didn’t get rid of much. Those diapers and leg support that were used when Zoey tore her ACL will be needed in the future for my 13-year-old girl. Their tiny collars remind me of them as pups when came into our lives.

Two small dog collars one inside the other in a gray bin

Their numerous ear supplies are a result of Zoey having a hematoma on her left ear this past June. Apparently that’s a thing with floppy-eared dogs. It was so filled, she had to have surgery. For three weeks, her ear was pinned to her head, and she had to wear a cone. She struggled for the first week running into walls and getting stuck until one of us would redirect her. The poor girl is deaf so losing her peripheral vision was hard. In addition, she had double ear infections and a UTI. Dakota didn’t want to be left out so he decided to have double ear infections as well! Now every Sunday is ear cleaning day.

I used the Marie Kondo method for the storage. The containers make it easy to find what I’m looking for, and they are an inexpensive way to organize. The dogs’ bins are separated by grooming, medicines, and treats.