editor unleashed Anna Cooke, Editor in Chief
Sleep is really important in our home. Not that we get much of it, but we think of the possibilities. It’s ironic, then, that the dynamics in our dog home include a bed hierarchy. There are dog beds all over the house for various types of snoozing. Dog snoozing, that is. For years, Dougie the Scottie has had
Anna with Chloe, Dougie, Rita, and Ms. Zoe.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone – wherever it goes – for good, You will discover how much you care; And you will give your heart to a dog to tear.
Rudyard Kipling from The Power of the Dog
“ ”
his own bed in our bedroom for night sleeping. Rita, our MinPin, always slept outside our bedroom in her own crate, furnished with its own bed and a blanket for burrowing. This was an arrangement created by her humans if we were to get any kind of sleep. Rita was a loud snorer. Really loud. Then, the newest member of our
family, Angel the Schnorkie, came along as a teeny tiny puppy. She immediately made it known that, in no way, was she going to sleep in a crate or on the floor in a dog bed. The very first night in her new home, she jumped onto our bed and burrowed in between the pillows. Who were we to argue? That’s where she slept for almost three years, every single night. However, things changed instantly
when Rita passed away. Angel stopped jumping on our bed at night, opting to sleep on the floor by Dougie. Now, Dougie’s a bit of a grump when it comes to his sleep. No one, including Angel, can even so much as tap his bed, much less be anywhere near it. He’ll let out a barely audible growl, like a harrumph, without lift- ing his head, letting the offending toucher- of-his-bed know, “You’re too close!” Angel’s newfound spot for sleeping
was about a foot from Dougie’s bed. No amount of pleading from her humans to come up on the bed could change her mind. I even picked her up and placed her in her favorite spot. She wouldn’t have it, jumping down right away, and settling in on the floor, her back facing us. It all became really interesting when
we placed a second bed near Dougie’s for Angel. Every night, as we all headed to bed, Dougie was already in Angel’s bed. Angel, however, wouldn’t go near Dougie’s bed. She simply took her place on the floor. Moving the beds around a bit didn’t
help. Every night, Dougie was the first in the bedroom, already in Angel’s bed. And, every night, Angel settled in on the floor
6 THE NEW BARKER
next to him. After the lights were out, we would hear Dougie move into his bed, and Angel into hers. We laughed at the thought that maybe Dougie was just warming the bed for Angel. In November, about eight months
after Rita’s passing, as we all settled in for the night and turned out the lights, Angel suddenly jumped onto our bed, taking her usual place, as if nothing had changed. Call me that crazy dog lady, but I thought it was the most amazing thing. I tried not to make a big deal out of it. It was probably a fluke. Maybe she was cold. But, the following night and each
night after, Angel jumped onto our bed and settled in between the pillows. Trying times as they’ve been, did she know her humans needed her? Or, was she over mourning the loss of Rita? Or, maybe it was Dougie who was ready to move on from losing Rita, and Angel knew it? Whatever it was, these two had
obviously been communicating something and it was profoundly dynamic. People joke about dogs talking – as in
using our own verbal language to commu- nicate with us. Many of us admit we would rather not hear what our dogs have to say because, wouldn’t it be terrible to suddenly hear what they really think of us, and be judged by the one creature who seemingly passes no judgment on us? Guess what? Our dogs are communi-
cating with us, and we with them. We don’t hear them because we’re not taking the time to see what it is they’re trying to tell us. And while we may be verbally commu- nicating one thing to them, our body language is most assuredly telling them the truth. They don’t miss a morsel. What I learned from the dialogue
between our dogs over that bed hierarchy is to be more patient with them and with myself. Don’t force dogs to do something just because it will make us feel better. Trust dogs to know when it’s time for the dynamics to change. Dogs, in their infinite wisdom, know
that it’s never going to go back to the way it was, because the way it was is gone forever. Appreciate the moment, especially if you’re lucky enough to be in the presence of someone you love, be it canine or human. And if you’re really lucky, both.
www.TheNewBarker.com
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PHOTOGRAPH BY LAURA ALLEN STUDIOS
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