Thumbnail image from Pixabay
We may disagree on a number of things, but my husband and I are in accord when it comes to dogs. We love them and can’t live without them. Over the years there’s been a succession of large dogs with whom we’ve shared our lives. But not our bed.
The humor is having a nighttime visitor
Enter Sam, a 17-pound rough coat Russell Terrier. To equal the size of one of our Labradors would require five Sams.
Having a small dog for the first time is a different experience. It’s like having a puppy that never grows larger. If you know how it is with puppies, then you understand the temptation to snuggle, and how that snuggling can extend until bedtime.
At first it was just for a few minutes. When we were ready to turn out the lights, I would place young Sam in his cozy crate, where he, and we, would be safe for the night. When Sam got a bit older, and I could trust him not to consume it, I bought him a bed. For a while we held to the same routine. Cuddle for a while, then into his own sleeping accommodation. This was working just fine. Until it wasn’t.
The visits in our bed got gradually longer. When we removed the sleeping Sam into his own bed, he would awaken, give us his most forlorn stare, accompanied by a muted, but very pathetic whine. We disagree about which of us was the first to give in. I know it was him. Nevertheless Sam now spends the entire night sleeping above the ground!
Sleeping has become an entirely new experience. At first, Sam was polite, and would curl up at the foot of the bed. But gradually, he was sleeping between us. And when he dreams he’s an Alpha dog, he crawls to the top of the pillows and sleeps above our heads.
You recall the old saying, Qui cum canibus concumbunt cum publicibus? Of course, you do. But you remember it as: Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with Sam. But I do wake up with an occasional stiff neck, cramped leg, or a cold tush because the dog has requisitioned my share of the blanket.
So, we shall remain cozy but crowded. Anyway, who wants to fold king-sized sheets!
