BED BUGS

[Cathy C. Bennett]

I have bed bugs! Not the tiny microscopic kind with a gazillion little legs. I’m talking about the hairy four legged kind with the extra long bushy tail that swishes past my face at night.

We are losing the bed battle!

I went to use the restroom, and while I wad gone he made himself comfortable

When the “slumber pawties” first started, we thought it was because we kept buying the wrong beds and perhaps they weren’t comfortable.  I say that because they were rarely used.

I remember when we brought home what looked like a love seat with a wrap around armrest for Leo. He was a puppy, and we thought he would snuggle up in it just like the dog in the picture on the sales tag, but he only slept “near it”…

So close – but no winner

For light naps, Harley chose to “touch” his bed for some unimaginable sense of security like Linus and his blanket. But he rarely got in it…

I have no explanation – NONE!

Yet for a good night’s rest he would walk past his bed and “scrunch-up” in the recliner…

There is no way you can convince me that this is comfortable…

And, let’s face it – try as he might, Leo can’t “fit” on just anything…

Two more of those and you might be ok

Slowly our beds became “the place” to nap, snore (yes they snore) drool, and stretch out on…

No I did NOT place that pillow under his head

DH would send them away, but like true “bed bugs” they would return later…

There are far too many articles to site all the “pros and cons” of whether or not one should allow ones dog to sleep in bed with them. According to one article from Pawnation: A 2007 survey showed more than 2,500 pet owners by the American Pet Products Association found 43 percent of dogs slept in a person’s bed at night, a steady increase from 34 percent a decade ago.

I really believe it just boils down to personal choice.

While some would say:

• Dogs may exhibit inappropriate non-aggressive night time behavior. Such as:

1. Unreliable bladder
2. Late night mischief (like getting into cupboards)
3. Endangering themselves (chewing on electrical cords, ingesting hazardous material, etc…
   

Others may argue that:

• Dog owners find it comforting. The company of pets has proven to:

1. Lower blood pressure and stress
2. Reduce the feeling of loneliness
3. Deepen the bond between dog and owner
4. And (this was a biggie to me) give a nervous dog more confidence

There are times when all four of us are jockeying for space in our bed. Harley’s in the middle, Leo’s at the foot, with DH and I hugging our respected edges for dear life most of the night. I rise in the morning, irritated most of the day from sheer exhaustion and lack of sleep.

But it never fails – when I’m ready for slumber, I see them watching me as I start to remove the decorative throw pillows from the bed. They run, jump and dive in to reserve their spot – I laugh, and they look like they have the nerve to smile. I yell to DH: “Hey babe, here we go again” as I remember the popular nursery rhyme:

Good night, sleep tight,
Don’t let the bedbugs bite,
Wake up bright
In the morning light
To do what’s right
With all your might.

As I squeeze in and try to get comfy on my tiny edge of the bed…

Thanks for reading,I  pawmise to keep on writing.

Would you like to DOODLE-tize your Holiday this year? Order your cards online today…

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yep, we can definitely relate!  Harpo usually gets into bed (between us) about 4:00 a.m.  Groucho Too never gets onto the bed unless invited, when we are in the bed.  Sometimes we have our coffee in bed and invite him up for scratches.  However, if we leave the dogs at home when we go someplace, they scramble the bed up and make a nice nest for themselves.  Dogs on the furniture?  Isn't that one of the reasons we have doodles?  They don't shed all over the place.  And we actually buy all leather furniture and upholstery in the vehicles so they are easy to clean.  Bedspreads - get some that match the dogs, but I don't think white would be a very good idea.  We have darker dogs.

[RoseAnn and Roger Fitch]

Too funny, thank goodness we nipped our bed bugs in the bud, but Max still keeps trying. He is so darn light on his feet that most of the time we don't even notice he has joined us in bed.

[Miss Ellie]

Cathy...I think we can all relate to your "hugging our respected edges for dear life most of the night"...but I wouldn't have it any other way:)