Let Sleeping Dogs Lie!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

There are two things I never disturb when they are sleeping...dogs and babies. I would also like to preface this discussion by saying early morning in bed with my DH and my dogs is my favorite part of the day, even if I wake up sometimes feeling like I have just gone three rounds with Mike Tyson. My dogs like to sleep on the floor. Once in a while, if Fudge is cold, she will sleep with us all night. Vern has maybe spent the entire night up in our bed four times in his life. Vern is a dog set in his ways and likes to go potty early in the morning. When we come back from doing his business, I allow both dogs up on the bed with us in the hopes that we can get a couple more hours of sleep and I like the cuddling time. The only one territorial about his bed space is my DH. If he has to get up for any reason, he drives me nuts with his desperate pleas, "Don't let anyone get in my space...guard it for me." I have thought about getting some orange traffic cones to save his place, but I am not sure if the police officer would like to hear that I need them for our bed as I try lifting them from a work site.

Once the dogs and my DH are all in bed, it is every man for himself. Vern, has no concept of his size, and will often plop down right on top of you.  My DH has been known to cry out in agony and announce he is wearing an athletic cup to bed from now on. I have had Vern sprawl across my chest and once or twice, I thought I was in cardiac arrest. Fudge somehow knows that Vern prefers the spot near my DH's feet, so she never fails to get there first and I swear she smirks when she looks at Vern. Well, that leaves the area below my feet available and often times I have my knees up by my chest in a fetal position so that Vern is comfortable and has enough room. I have often thought I could try out for the Cirque du soleil and for my audition tell them I need two large dogs, one man, and a king size bed and my talent is that I can contort my body to any position so that we all fit into one bed.

Don't even get me started on Fudge's quirks. She gets frightened when you sneeze, so sometimes in the early morning, I can be found holding my nose and having a minor head explosion just so no sound escapes my lips and she wants to get down. God help my husband if he sneezes, because he does not get a "God Bless You!", but rather a "Knock it Off...You are making Fudge uncomfortable."

My DH and I can now sleep with parts of our body hanging so far off the bed it is a miracle. We can defy gravity if needed. I have slept a couple of mornings with just a sheet for a cover because I couldn't pull anything else out from under our dogs. The last time my DH and I touched in the morning occurred because we both happened to be rubbing Fudge's tummy at the same time :)  Sometimes, I will look over at my DH and say, "Isn't this the best part of your day?" and the last time he answered something back like, "I guess if I was having a root canal and a colonoscopy, yes, this would be my favorite part of the day."

Thank you for listening. I would like to know if anyone else is willing to sacrifice a little comfort for the sweet feel of your doodles next to you??

 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

They sure do. Thank you!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thank you, Jared. Pretty soon you will want a King sized bed. You are lucky one of your dogs is so small.

[Debbie and Thomas]

YES Laurie...I feel your sacrifice.  My DH and I have both sacrificed our own warm covers and comfort for the doodle; Thomas.  At bedtime  he sleeps at the front door...then an hour later... on the floor at the end of our bed...then around 4 in the morning he leaps onto our bed and sleeps right at the bottom. When I try to turn over(which I do about a hundred times a night) my covers are stuck under the 100 lb. doodle.  So I lie there on my side with half my body uncovered.  It doesn't bother me a bit...happy that he is comfortable is all that I can say. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thomas is a lucky doodle :)

[cheryl & oliver]

Laurie, put all these stories together, come up with a great title and we will send them to my son. He is a literary agent in New York City, and maybe you and Fudge & Vern will be in every bookstore in America!!!!..These are as good as they come, and any dog lover will love this book!!...I am not kiddding, consider it, and we can say, "we knew Laurie and Fudge & Vern when."..Sound interesting????

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yes, it sounds very interesting. Thank you so much for thinking these stories are good enough to send to your son. It means a lot to me.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

So it looks like I will need to race my DH to bed tonight to claim my space.  This is what we are up against every night.  I just went in to take the picture and Gracie gave me a look...WTD are you doing Mom?  I'm resting!

[BG and Gavin]

Cute pictures; love how Gracie has her toy "claiming it's space" too.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Love this picture. She sure does look like Queen of the bed!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thank you, Caitlin. That is very nice for you to say! We missed you at Yappy Hour.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Laurie, I agree with Linda...you should submit this to a magazine:) We are in the same situation only Izzy sleeps with us all night. Lucca hops in bed around 3am-ish. It is amazing how you can contort your body to accommodate these furry loved ones. We have a queen size bed (at the moment). I keep trying to talk DH into getting a king but he refuses. Izzy is only 29 lbs right now but she is only 5 1/2 months old!!! Maybe when she turns a year he'll give in:)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Carla. You will love a king sized bed if your husband gives in :) Although, we still seem very crowded in ours some nights.