I've been laying here since around 5 am wide awake. I was woke up my out smallest dog, Misty, scratching on the wall. When I got awake enough, I realized she had become wedged, on her back, between the mattress and the wall. I pulled her out and she went and laid back down. Of course at this point I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back asleep. Zack would have to get up in around an hour for work and Troy would be home shortly after that. Here, any movement stirs a barking frenzy. I managed to tip toe to the bathroom and got there with no barking and only one follower...Misty. When I came back to the bedroom, my spot had been taken. Lucy, our lab mix, had taken the spot where my feet should go, Mack, a sheltie, had taken my pillow, and Baxter, the great Dane had taken all the space in between. I managed to slide in beside them all and Misty took her spot above my head. And I just laid here. Within a few minutes everyone moved around a bit. One went to the floor, two went to Troy's side of the bed and Baxter...he turned sideways, burrowed under my legs and fell back asleep with his nose in the bend of my knee and his legs wrapped around mine.
I went to bed last night without a blanket or sheet. I wore sweats and socks and had a space heater running. You see, Baxter has a habit of wadding up the blanket, putting a big amount in his mouth and sucking on it...a strange habit that we can't seem to break him from doing. So, yes, I have been changing my sleep routine so that our blind and deaf great dane can sleep with me. Crazy? Of course, but, I wouldn't have it any other way. He will only be here for a fraction of my life. And, while he is "just a dog" to most, he's part of our family.
To get a better picture of our living arrangements, you have to realize that the 4 dogs in my room are not the only ones we have. Koda sleeps with Zack or Kyle and the other 4 take the living room Yep, a total of 9! Three are stray, they found us and stayed, Baxter came from an abusive home, one was picked up from someone giving them away on Walmart parking lot, 2 are from a litter of puppies that my sister raised (1 deaf) and 2 were born here.
I'm told on a regular basis that I should find homes for some of our dogs...why? They have a home. Our dogs sleep with us, protect us, and they love us when we are not feeling well. I have dogs at my feet when I am in the bathroom, when I'm cooking and when I'm watching tv. Troy says I voodoo them into liking me better...I don't do anything different than I do for anyone else in my life. I treat them with respect, I love them, I talk to them and I just let them be dogs...
Baxter rearraged again and stretched all the way across under my legs.
It didn't last long, Zack left for work and all the other dogs woke up. I got to get up...I have 9 4-legged babies bouncing around needing to go out.
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