When you bring home a new puppy, it can be a lot like bringing home a new baby. Expect sleepless nights. Those wonderful outdoor trips to the outdoor restroom facilities where you dance around in freezing weather while the puppy takes it's sweet time finding the perfect potty spot. And you get to do this every couple of hours. Also expect the transition to the new kennel to be a little tough and that puppy to mourn the loss of it's mother and siblings by moaning and howling incessantly until rescued by it's new owner.
Bringing home a new baby or baby kitten? Oh, it's about the same. And it's totally worth it. They are so cute.
A long time ago when we brought home our first puppy there was a product on the market called the Heartbeat Pillow. It made the sound of a heartbeat and had a warming pad in it that mimicked laying next to siblings and mother. After our first sleepless night with our new puppy, we were desperate to find one since ours seemed to have disappeared. Of course, it took tearing apart the entire basement and three hours to realize that it was gone.
I called the pet stores, but none of them sold anything like that anymore. (Although all of the shops I called said they got calls on a regular basis about the product). One company sold the adorable Snuggle Pet but it was $40 and would take almost a week to get here. Another company sold the Sleepy Sheep for babies which could also work as a solution for babies human, canine and feline. It was also $30, but at least stores like Babies R' Us had it in stock.
But I knew I could do it for much less. This heartbeat pillow is just perfect for puppies, cats, and babies. And you can do it yourself and you don't have to be crafty to do it!
DIY HEARTBEAT PILLOW
Things You Will Need:
Stuffed Animal: You can easily use an old stuffed animal. For puppies or kittens, buy one at a thrift store, then wash and dry it before using. We recommend an animal at least 12" tall.
Heartbeat Mechanism: You can use the detachable vibrating/heartbeat mechanism from a baby bouncer or a ticking alarm clock. (we found our alarm clock for $3.88 at Walmart).
Warming Component: (For Puppies and Kittens) Rice pack, Hot Hands or warming bottle.
Knife
Cut a hole in the back of the stuffed animal approximately 6-10 inches in length. Remove some of the stuffing to make space for the heartbeat mechanism and warming component.
On the inside back of the stuffed animal incision, measure and place your velcro stripping so when you pull the incision together it sticks together with the velcro. You may want to glue the velcro adhesive with fabric glue too if needed.
Place the heartbeat mechanism inside of the stuffed animal in a place that the baby or animal will hear it. Turn it on if needed.
If you are using a warming component, heat according to package directions and place inside the stuffed animal.
Seal the stuffed animal incision together with the velcro and place close to the animal so they cuddle with it. If using the heartbeat for baby, place close enough to the baby so they can hear it, but not close enough that it could become a choking or suffocation hazard.
*Note: As with anything, please be careful to not burn your animal's skin when using. Do not use the warming component on babies. Please supervise around kittens or puppies as they can chew and tear apart the stuffed animal.
Was it easy to remove the ticker part of the clock?
It depends on the clock you buy. My clock was small enough that I didn't have to.
And... did it work? Is a ticking clock enough like a mom-dog heartbeat? You never said whether you actually used it.
Yes, the ticking clock worked perfect!