Casey Hoover

Lottie Moon has adjusted to everything in her new life so well, with the exception of one thing:  Bedtime.  I have a crate for her downstairs with Reminington's and Kannika's and Pete's crates.  I don't want her crate in my bedroom for several reasons, but mostly because of space.  My bedroom is not very large, and there is already one dog crate in there, I don't think I can fit another.
In the car, she is fine.  She rides in the back of my Jeep Grand Cherokee behind the barrier with either Tango or Pony.  She is calm and quiet and usually sleeps.  When I leave her in the car, I put my hand up to her to smell, and tell her I'll be back.  She is accepting of this, and there have been no problems.
But bedtime . . . . bedtime is another story!  She screams and cries for about 10 minutes each night, and then in the morning when she "hears" me get up, she starts the screaming again.  She bites at the crate door, and her blanket is always soaked with drool by the door.  I keep telling myself to be strong, but since it has been going on for almost a month, I don't think she's going to ever get used to bedtime.  I know that if I put her in my room that she will likely be fine, but I really don't see how I can do that.  The other option is to sleep on the sofa next her HER every night!
The solution presented itself last week in the form of a white kitty named Casey Hoover (he loves the vaccuume cleaner, thus the name).  I put Lottie in her crate one night, and she didn't cry.  I thought, wow, she must be REALLY tired.  The next morning I got up, and she still wasn't crying.  I was kinda worried when I went downstairs and still no screams.  I found her awake, and just quietly lying in her crate, "looking" out.  I opened the door and she bounded joyfully out into my arms, just like always . . . . but it was then that I noticed Casey Hoover as he calmly strolled out from Lottie's crate.  Hmmm . . . . .
The next night I went to put Lottie in her crate, I looked first, and saw Casey Hoover already settled in the back of the crate.  I put Lottie in with him, and crossed my fingers.  No screams.  I was a calm and peaceful night, and morning.
Did Casey Hoover just like the cozy crate, or did he realize that Lottie was scared and needed to be comforted by another warm body?  Three nights in a row Casey and Lottie slept quietly together, and on the fourth night, I found Sushi in Casey's place at the back of the crate.  sushi seems to have the same calming effect on Lottie Moon as Casey does.  And now a third kitty has offered to babysit -- I found Cricket in the crate one night, and so she and Lottie stayed together just as well.

It has been a week now, and Lottie is quiet in her crate with either Casey Hoover, Sushi, or Cricket with her.  I can't imagine they enjoy sleeping with a puppy, I'm sure they just like the cozy warm crate, but I do wonder  . . . . .