Doggie Snoozing

I had a good chance recently, when I was sick, to closely study the sleepy habits of my dogs. It has led to the discovery that their sleeping habits in some ways mimic their dog walking habits. In other words, when it comes to these two dogs and sleeping, it’s butt first.

Each dog claims her distinct area of the bed and Gabbee being the alpha dog always gets first dibs. Her dibs are always the middle of my back or the back of my knees. Lillee, on the other hand, heads towards the top of the bed curling up somewhere near my head or on top of my head at the top of the pillow, but here’s where “butt first” comes in. While I’m laying on the bed head to foot they lay on the bed foot to head so that their tails are nearest my face. I believe, understanding the nature of dogs, that they intend this to be a great compliment. For dogs everything is about the tail end: greetings, health, any kind of doggie communication is done more through the tail end than through the muzzle. Even a good wag takes the tail end.

So there I am curled up in the middle of my double size bed or rather penned in the middle of my double size bed. (I can’t imagine having a smaller bed but I’m not sure a bigger bed would make any difference.) I have one dog tucked snugly against the center of my back and the other curled up by my shoulder or on top of my head. It is rather comforting when you are shivering with chills to have these two warms bodies snuggled so close to you. I know that they understand instinctively my need for contact and they are more than willing to be the able bodied providers of that contact.

But then, in about a half hour they both get too hot and the movement begins. One shifts down to my knees and the other moves to the cooler top corner of the bed. And, in another half hour another shift takes place. Then, sooner or later, there is the movement to the floor and then to the chair and then back to the bed and then to another place on the bed and then back to the floor and then the chair and then the bed and then... Even this, in my sickness induced sleep would not be that disturbing. There is a gently rhythm to the movement like the tides coming and going. It’s that inevitably sometime during the time when a tail is closest to my face another aspect of tail end activity presents itself wafting gently into my nostrils. In my deep sleep, I stir. I snort slightly and open one eye to find Lillee looking intently at her tail end as if wondering what exactly just happened. It is very clear to me even if it is not to her!

Would I change the habits and the comforts these two dogs bring despite the aromatic gift that I am given with some nightly frequency? Absolutely not. They probably believe that they have just bestowed upon me one of their highest honors because, for them, everything is “butt first.”