The toes open.
Close.
Scrape against the floor.
He withdraws the paw and tries again.
Sometimes he lowers himself so his shoulder can get closer to the bottom of the gate.
It gives him another inch.
Not enough.
The blanket remains outside.
The Contradiction Is What Makes the Behavior So Difficult to Explain
Blanket touches hind legs.
Dexter needs it gone.
Blanket becomes inaccessible.
Dexter needs it back.
Both reactions appear genuine.
That does not necessarily mean Dexter has conflicting feelings about the blanket itself.
The context has changed.
When the fabric touches a sensitive area, removing it may solve an immediate problem.
Once that contact is gone, the blanket may regain whatever other value it normally has.
A Single Object Can Have More Than One Meaning
The blanket may be comfortable beneath Dexter's head.
It may be familiar.
It may provide warmth.
It may be useful bedding.
None of those possibilities requires sentimental speculation about his past.
At the same time, contact between that same object and his hind legs may be uncomfortable or startling.
Those two realities can coexist.
Dexter does not need to either “love” or “hate” the blanket.
His behavior can depend entirely on what it is doing at that moment.
Staff Try Positioning It Differently
Instead of allowing loose fabric to gather around his rear legs, the blanket is placed more securely.
Dexter approaches.
Sniffs.
Lies down.
His front half rests on it.
His hind legs remain beyond the edge.
He sleeps.
For that period, there is no problem.
Then Dexter Turns Around
One hind paw catches the blanket.
The fabric folds.
A corner slides across his other leg.
Dexter jumps up.
He grabs the fabric.
The old routine begins.
Pull.
Back up.
Pull again.
The blanket reaches the gate.
Dexter works until part of it slips outside.
Soon the entire thing is gone.
He retreats.
Minutes Later, He Is Back at the Bars
The transformation is striking.
The frantic dog trying to remove the blanket is gone.
Now Dexter is standing quietly at the kennel door.
His eyes remain on the fabric outside.
He whines.