He Who Sleeps with Dogs

The most hotly debated topic in the pet community has to be the dogs in bed question. Some people say that this should be forbidden —others welcome the hounds with open arms.

To listen to dog nuts experts, you’d think you were letting your teenage kids climb into bed with you.

I’m a lot more flexible –but it may be becoming an issue.

One of our dogs –the smart one– places herself unobtrusively at the foot of the bed. The other –the not so bright one– insists on stretching out up near my face. That wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t lick my head and try to put her tongue in my mouth when I’m sleeping. There are worse things to wake up to at 1:30am, but not many.

Some nights the the head licker ends up downstairs in her crate. She’s happy to sleep there, but other times she looks up at you with those big brown eyes and wins the battle of the bed. Those are the nights I let sleeping dogs lie and end up on the couch.

It’s time to put my foot down. Consider yourselves on notice: this bed’s not big enough for the four of us. That’s directed at the dogs, not the wife.

17 thoughts on “He Who Sleeps with Dogs

  1. Eeewww…tongue in your mouth? Sure it’s not the other way around?

    Anyway, we have a 120 pound mastiff mix who curls up like a little toy poodle at the foot of our bed. Always on MY side though….

    The cat shares the pillow with me. No tonguing though.

  2. My beagle used to jump into bed with us from time to time…about a year ago I lifted up the covers and he went right under. Now he jumps up with us every night about 3:00 a.m. and if we dont list up the covers, he starts scratching at the top of the covers until we let him under. If I put him back in his bed hw whines and then waits a minute or so and jumps back in bed. Help! I have created a monster!

  3. Our dog sleeps with our son, curled up right next to him in a little (he weighs 30 pounds – the dog, not the son!) ball. Actually all 3 of our dogs have slept in our son’s bed. No licking though!

  4. Bandit usually sleeps at the foot of the bed. He has at least four dog beds, including mine, the papasan chair in the corner of the bedroom, the futon couch in the guest room and the regular couch downstairs.

    The parakeets sleep in their cage. Probably best for all concerned.

  5. Our first pup slept with us-second time around it was a big no-no. Now we occasionally have our black lab granddog for an overnight-he has a large bed of his own at the foot of ours. He loves it and is very happy there-thankfully.

  6. I wish my cats would mind their manners! I would love to have those warm little cat bodies to cuddle up with on cold nights, but noooo! They play with my hair, scratch on the blinds and one comes along and meows at THE TOP OF HER LUNGS between 1 & 2 EVERY morning. So the cats must be banished from the bedroom. I leave the door open every few weeks to see if the routines have changed. So far, no good!

  7. Lisa C: I’ve tried arguing that the door should be closed on the grounds that we’ll be safer in case of a fire. That only served to make me sound a little crazy.

  8. Hey, it’s not as bad as waking up in the morning and finding your face up close and personal to the business end of your dog – there’s nothing more unsettling than waking up to see ol Johnny Red Eye staring you in the face!

  9. My Yorkie starts out in his crate next to the bed, we close the door but don’t lock it so anytime between 2 and 5 I hear him scamper to the bed side and I let him sleep the rest of the night with us. He is only 5 lbs or I would love to let him sleep in the bed ALL night…he is the BEST little snuggle bug EVER!!!

  10. A 6 and 7 pound Maltese have the pleasure of sleeping with “mommy and daddy” every night. They are big kissers and love to hog up the pillows. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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