If I had a nickel for every time a client has given me a sheepish look and said “I know it’s wrong, but she sleeps in bed with me…” To which I answer, “my dogs sleep with me, I’m not going to be the one to tell you to kick your dog out of bed.”
I’ve been sleeping with dogs since I was 13, and Redwood, with her mighty puppy lungs, made it very clear to us that she WAS NOT interested in sleeping in a crate overnight. Being 13, and not wanting to keep my parents awake with puppy noise, I slept the first night on the floor with her and the next night just gave up and brought her to bed. She slept at the end of my bed for most of her life, until she got older and was just more comfortable on the couch. I can’t begin to count the many mornings I woke up twisted and contorted around a 50 lb black dog who somehow managed to work her way into the very middle of the bed. When she was young, she would often head to bed before me, giving me that baleful labrador look that very clearly said “I’m tired, you coming or what?” To this day, I sleep better if their is weight on my lower legs, a warm furry body to bury my feet under. When Redwood and I ever had to be separated at night, I’ve been know to pile up blankets and pillows on my feet to get to sleep.
Rowan never slept in bed, but in the beginning her crate was right next to my bed. I could reach in and pet her, or at the frequent sound of her barfing her brains out – jump out of bed, hustle her outdoors, and get a bucket to clean up. That would be why Rowan never slept in bed. Later, as she got older and didn’t need to be crated at night, she still was always close on a dog bed. I used to try to get her to sleep with us after Redwood died, and she’d lay with me while I petted her, and then bail as soon as I’d stop. It was just never her thing. She’d cuddle with you forever, but sleep with you? No.
Jester started out in a crate his first night home, and after one night of getting up every two hours to a whimpering, pathetic pug puppy – I again gave up and just plopped him on my pillow. He’s been sleeping with me ever since. In my early 20’s when life was so chaotic and hectic, the best part of my day was to crawl into bed with Redwood at the foot and Jester snuggled up against my belly under the covers. The dogs have changed, but that’s still the best part of my day, really. Jester is the master at getting under the covers, and there’s nothing like snuggling a super pug heater on a chilly winter night. The bed is Jester’s domain, and his favorite days are when we get up, eat breakfast, and go back to bed. He is a champion napper.
When Teak was a baby, she came to me with a broken leg, so had to sleep in her crate as a pup while that healed. Also, she was a raging maniac who COULD NOT settle down at night, and she would ramp all over the place bonking all of us in the face with her little smashed self. She was a whirling dervish as a baby, and we would let her out to play but you could feel the energy level in the room plummet as soon as we put her to bed in her crate. You could see Jester and Rowan heaving sighs of relief “Finally, we can get some rest.” As the brat got older, she finally learned to sleep with us, and after a few months of having them sleep on opposite sides of me, Jester finally accepted her presence in his place. Now they sleep together, a smushy, squishy pug pile, next to my belly at night. Even though Teak has recently decided that sleeping ON my pillow, above my head, is a cool place to be – it doesn’t bother me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Karma is a bit like Rowan, and will lay with you as long as you are petting her, but as soon as the hand stops moving, she bails. She has a lovely chair that she prefers to sleep on – she’s always been that way.
Dyson desperately wants to sleep in bed with us, and often manages to sneak up there – how we miss 95 lbs of dog sneaking up onto the bed, I’ll never know – but we’ve often woken to limbs that have lost feeling because yet another lab has plopped itself in the middle of the bed. D has been very patient lately, and waits until Josh leaves in the morning and then politely curls up at the bottom of the bed on Josh’s side. He’s very careful not to step on any pugs, and barely moves once he’s there – but his day really isn’t complete unless he’s gotten some bed time.
I thought of this today when I went back to bed for a nap – this pregnancy thing is kicking my ass – and Jester, Teak, and Karma all climbed in with me. With a warm, furry Collie body at my back, Jester snuggled at my feet, and Teak with her head on my chest – I wondered, how do people without dogs sleep? I haven’t slept alone in many, many years, I’d hate to start now. It doesn’t seem to matter how trying, retarded, or special they are during the day, all is forgiven and forgotten as we curl up together at night. There’s nothing better than waking up and taking a few moments to scratch pug bellies and smooch the big dogs on the nose. I treasure those moments of quiet. The beginning and the end of the day to regroup and bond with my little family, to check in with them and make sure they are okay. I think if more people woke up and said hello to their dog first thing in the morning, took a few moments to get sloppy dog kisses and revel in simple joy of being – perhaps we all might be a little happier.
Posted on September 17th, 2008 by michelle
Filed under: My dogs, Random run ins, The Naked Part | No Comments »
