Porch Gate

One of our farm dogs, Crusty, is a diehard thief. His favorite target is food, any sort of edible food whatever. And one of his successful targets has been our crippled cat's food. He often sneaks up on her porch and eats whatever she has left behind. But recently the thievery has gotten out of hand, stealing her  food as soon as we walk away. 

Feeding this kitty, Becca, has its issues. She is hind leg problems making jumping impossible. Thus we can't simply feed her atop something high. We started blocking Crusty by using barriers, like a box or piece of plywood. We tried feeding her in a box with a cat sized entry hole. Worked for awhile. But trying to keep Crusty away has become a nuisance. So we needed a better solution. And believe me, the command "No" just wasn't doing it. "No" only worked if we were within correction distance. Since Crusty's survival for 9 months before living here depended upon successfully thievery, he is a real master at sneaking. 

Solution.....a gate that Becca can come and go through but Crusty can't. 

Crusty is not a chewer, a destroyer of objects like a gate. Thief yes, destructor no. So a gate was a good option. It's a simple made gate. Just four 2x4s with corner braces, and four 2x2 upright rails that Crusty can't get through. 

So far it's worked like a charm! 

Oh yes...... It's mounted on hinges with a gate latch to keep it closed.