GRADUATION NIGHT - FOR THE THREE OF US!

[Cathy C. Bennett]

Somewhere between the intersection of “maternal protection” and “pet parent nurturing”, my clear, level headed thinking “collided” with my bonding and attachment concerns, shoving common sense and my ability to reason into a coma!

Don’t ask me exactly where I got the notion, probably on the “world wide web”, where I surmised once Harley came home to live with us, his crate should be in our bedroom. DH wasn’t exactly “feeling it”, but he’d already signed on for this whole “pet parent” thing, so he relented (easily I might add), and chose not to challenge me – at all!

I must admit, having him in the room with us was great. And not solely for any legitimate reason such as:

• dogs are “pack animals” and they need to grow up feeling they are a part of their family

I just found it convenient and comforting for me! And to “me”, it made sense:

• I could see him

• He could see me

• Bathroom “breaks” were easier to detect because we were together…

After many, many months with potty problems behind us, we folded up the crate and took it to the attic. Harley now owned a cute little round fluffy bed with his own blankie:

• in our room,

• at the foot of our bed,

•  with the bedroom door CLOSED…

For “doodle sakes” four years later and another doodle in the mix, we are ALL still in our room!

You should see us, when it’s time to retreat to the bedroom, we all march up the stairs together! While Lee and I “piddle” around before we officially retire, the boys sit on their beds and watch us like we’re a family reality show. Sometimes they’ll snuggle up on the same bed…

Other times they stretch out and lounge alone…

Not too long ago, DH approached the subject (gingerly I might add), of allowing the boys freedom at night as they have during the day. I will admit I gasped at the thought…

I mean, what in “doodles name” would/could happen overnight with the bedroom door open?

When I had no reasonably sane rebuttals to his suggestion, I had no recourse but to laugh – aloud – at myself!

As deranged as it may sound, the first night I heard absolutely every movement they made. Around 4ish, Harley walked out of the room and into the hallway. I fought huge “doodle urges” not to get out of the bed to see where he went and observe what he was doing. The only reason I didn’t move was because DH would have choked me- HA!

Harley returned several minutes later. Then Leo went into the hallway. Then Harley joined him (I’m telling you I got no sleep!). They both slept in the hallway for a little while, and returned back to their beds until daylight.

Here’s my revelation: Sleeping in the hallway or anywhere in the house for that matter is the same regardless of the hour. They’ll be fine, the house will be fine. I must (and will) adjust and accept the harsh reality that I’ve run out of excuses to keep them in the room with us. It is time for the three of us to graduate to the next level!

So as I step over them in the hallway this evening…

…and head for my bed – weary, fatigued and “doodle-tired”, I do not intend to call them into the bedroom. My plan is to sleep through the night tonight – DAY TWO! of this new arrangement, with the door wide open…

Think I’ll make it?

Thanks for reading

[Sharon & Monty]

Ha!  LIKE!  For most of my entire life I've had to do the shuffling of the feet thru the dark.  Where I live now in the mountain it is very, very dark and I need it darker.  So, no night lights neither.  Regardless to say on those nights (like every night) when I wake up, I place my feet off the bed and feel for the dog before stepping forward.  The things we go thru for our dogs!

[GBK]

LOL yes, yes, yes, DH and I always to the "doodle shuffle"!  I didn't realize it had a name or that we weren't the only ones doing this :)

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ohhhh, I do the doodle shuffle at night also.....

[BG and Gavin]

Welcome to the world of the "doodle shuffle."  That is when you wake up in the middle of the night and shuffle your feet as you walk through the hallway to the bathroom in the dark so as not to step on a furry body.