Girl Clown Dancing
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Let (Our) Sleeping Dogs Lie

3/4/2018

31 Comments

 
Picture
Hank and Sadie in their favorite spot
Our dogs sleep with us.  Or rather, we sleep with our dogs.
 
Given that neither is teacup size—Sadie is 105 pounds and Hank is 75—this arrangement has its negatives.
 
For starters, our mattress is queen size, and like our dogs, neither The Hubster nor I are small. 
 
Sadie warms my side of the bed before I turn in.  But she always moves when I ask, settling in her big brown dog bed next to my nightstand.
 
Still, being a shepherd and The Hubster’s dog, Sadie wakes every few hours to nudge his arm or breathe on his face to make sure he’s okay.  And she doesn’t like anything getting too close to either of us.  That means barking when there are raccoons and possums and skunks outside, which has been known to happen every night for a full week.  She’s an early riser, too, typically 5 a.m., which is when I’m in my deepest sleep. 
 
Hank likes to jump on after we’ve settled in.  After licking my face, he settles into his sweet spot—on top of, or wrapped around, The Hubster’s legs.  He’s a happy hound who had a great puppy experience: not being separated from his mother too soon; daily runs through a vegetable garden, and cuddles by friends of the couple who fostered him.  Also, he was the only male in the litter, definitely an alpha dude, so it’s not his way to give up space.
 
Why do we put up with this? 
 
Because there are way more positives.
 
Most important, Hank and Sadie are family.  
 
With that in mind, we’re serious about pet ownership.  Our guys don’t wear plaid jackets or ribbons on their collars, but they eat premium food; have lots of space to run, and chew on soup bones (no splinters).   Of course, there are hugs and kisses and brushing and on-time visits to the vet.
 
And now, a new study has concluded what we people who sleep with dogs have long suspected.
 
Folks who take their dogs to bed with them feel more contented, secure and loved.    
 
The study was done at the Mayo Clinic and surveyed 40 adults, mostly women with an average age of 44 years old.  Each participant had one dog, and none had sleep disorders.   The findings in this research backed up an earlier Mayo study, which surveyed 150 patients, and concluded that sleeping with one’s dog makes for a better night’s sleep.
 
However, there’s a catch.
 
While all of these pet owners had their dogs in the bedroom with them, none of the animals slept on a bed. For those of us whose canines sleep next to us, researchers found that a good night’s rest is hard to come by—especially if the pet is large and stubborn like Hank.
 
We love our sleep, but we love Hank and Sadie more.  So for us, there’s only one option.  
 
Save up for a king size bed.   
 
 
31 Comments
Pam Thomas
3/4/2018 04:17:29 pm

Ditto, Hilary! My Jack Russell sleeps in my arms with his head on the pillow, or curled up behind my knees. I should have named him Velcro. My mom always warned me not to kiss the dogs and cats, but I have never listened, and have never caught that awful disease she warned about. Guilty as charged.

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 10:20:58 am

Love it! Maybe the disease is called "We Can't Live Without Our Critters" ... :)

Reply
Larry Grant
3/4/2018 04:45:19 pm

The “hubster” here. No question. We love our dogs. Our dogs love us.
I am up at 5:00 most mornings also. So Sadie and I are up together. Hank likes to stay in bed until chow time.
It’s all good! I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 10:21:52 am

I feel cozy (with Hank) and protected (with Sadie). So, it's all good on this side of the bed, too! xo

Reply
kerri fisher
3/4/2018 05:40:28 pm

At first I had trouble typing my response, because the cat was in my lap and I wasn't about to disturb him! I am SO HAPPY he is finally becoming a lap cat. I will postpone going to the bathroom, getting the remote, eating, anything as long as he is in my lap. If I am lucky enough to have him sleep with me, it is almost impossible to get out of bed in the morning. He is just so dang soft and beautiful. The dog is never far away, and always sleeps with me. It's usually just me and her in a king bed, and she is much smaller than your two. I wish she was more of a snuggler, but she typically likes the bottom corner - my furry sentry.

Reply
Hilary Grant
3/5/2018 10:23:15 am

Oh, I love the idea of a little furry sentry! Like a hot water bottle that breathes and has fur. : )

Reply
Jamie Lewis link
3/4/2018 06:14:53 pm

This warms my heart and makes me smile. Although we live with 2 small dogs, and are fortunate enough to have a king size bed, we sleep with dogs who somehow manage to take up as much room as a person! But we wouldn't have it any other way!! Our dogs are family and bring us more joy than we could measure.

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 10:23:45 am

On the same page here in Los Osos!

Reply
Tammy Dalcin
3/4/2018 07:51:19 pm

As you know Hilary i have three dogs. Duke, Odie and Buster. Duke is my million dollar dog ( big surgery) he is my goofy, lovable and smart boy. Odie has little man syndrome ( Napoleon complex ) and then there’s Buster the stafordshire bull terrier ( NOT pit bull! ) no matter how many times i tell people his breed they always say beautiful pit. Oh well doesn’t matter he is the sweetest boy loves all dogs and people too once he gets to know you. Not a single mean bone in any of my dogs. Now getting to your subject of sleeping with dogs. Buster is 65 pounds of solid muscle and Odie is 35. Both dogs sleep with us. Buster starts at the foot of the bed on my side ( warms my feet when i get into bed) then somtime in the night he moves his way up by my side and basically leaves me with no room to turn. Odie usually sleeps closer to my husband but sometimes he is on my other side. Forget trying to move them, that would be like trying to move an elephant off the bed! Duke is my good boy, he sleeps on the couch and only comes in our room to tell me he wants outside to potty. Forget saving up for a king size bed. We have a California king and it doesn’t help, once you welcome a dog on your bed they take over. I put up with it night after night because i love my dogs and I wouldn’t change a thing. Once a dog lover always a dog lover ❤️

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 10:24:53 am

Haha... I couldn't agree more. When I *do* try and turn in the middle of the night, Hank lets me know he is NOT pleased!

Reply
leslie spoon
3/5/2018 07:38:48 am

Hilary I always slept well when my old cat "Fatso" slept on the bed with me. Does Hank still talk in his sleep and snore?

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 10:25:50 am

Sadie is the one who snores. Although Larry says that she and I are often in two part harmony! :)

Reply
jerry lazar
3/5/2018 10:44:06 am

Why stop at two? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dog_Night#Band_name_origin

Reply
Hilary Grant
3/5/2018 11:57:07 am

Indeed! :)

Reply
Marc Townsend
3/5/2018 01:41:21 pm

Fun read, Hilary. Our pit bull, Honey, sleeps in our room with us but not on our bed. She's got her own corner staked out and unless something outside wakes her, she's content to snore the night through on her mattress. Check her out at instagram.com/slodoghoney

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 02:11:49 pm

Awwwww... **HONEY** :) I would love for Hank to sleep on the floor but I can't see it happening... because he's THE HANKSTER! :)

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 02:13:31 pm

She's **beautiful**... did you give her this name because of her golden honey color, or her personality, or both? :)

Reply
Mary Catt
3/5/2018 07:06:14 pm

This is great! My Lilah, at 127 pounds, is on the floor next to my bed. And I can't fall asleep until Louis, the Catt, has settled in on my stomach!

Reply
Hilary
3/5/2018 09:00:49 pm

The comfort our animals give us is the best, isn't it? :)

Reply
Andrea
3/5/2018 11:20:12 pm

Awww, great post. I LOVE my little Leo around me whenever I read on the couch and of course, whenever I sleep. So sweet to hear that they ''scientifically'' provide comfort and contentment. Absolutely true!

Reply
Hilary
3/6/2018 09:18:42 am

During college and several years afterwards, I didn't have any pets. For a lot of reasons--not much money for non-essentials; a busy schedule, and living in apartments--it didn't make sense. Now, I absolutely cannot imagine my life without a pet to hold and love. ;)

Reply
George Marshall link
3/6/2018 12:46:58 pm

Maybe a double king size bed?

Reply
Hilary Grant
3/6/2018 07:35:11 pm

That would work, but first, we need a bigger bedroom! : )

Reply
Susan Jordan
3/7/2018 08:28:47 pm

I can't imagine my animal friends not sleeping on the bed with me! Hilary, you need one of those giant beds I posted a picture of a week or two back!

Reply
Hilary
3/7/2018 10:51:43 pm

Can't argue w/ you on this one--but I'll have to get a WAY bigger bedroom first! :)

Reply
Joyous
3/9/2018 11:45:13 am

We wouldn't have it any other way! Our Louka is a small Border Collie mix, maybe 36lbs, but she can manage to take up the space of a dog twice her size. For the most part however, she typically settles in right at my feet. If she's chilly though, she is an expert at being the "little spoon."

Reply
Hilary Grant
3/9/2018 12:20:09 pm

"A little spoon" would be nice. We have a sprawling, not-an-ounce-of-fat-on-him spoon w/ greyhound dog legs who can stretch in such a way that he takes up more than half of the bed. :)

Reply
Becky
3/9/2018 01:07:01 pm

Our fella is about 80 - 90 pounds and is a little crazy, so he sleeps in the kitchen, but we love him. Those doggies are lucky to have landed with you.

Reply
Hilary Grant
3/9/2018 02:32:50 pm

Once Hank discovered the comfort and I-can-stretch-out-all-the-way of a human bed, it was game over. Sure glad Sadie loves her dog bed on the floor! : )

Reply
Alys Milner link
4/15/2018 08:35:39 pm

We have three cats, *and* a king-sized bed, but sleep can still be allusive. But they're family, like your dogs, so I can complete relate. We've tried to find workarounds so that we can get better rest, but the trade-offs as you've said are worth it.

Reply
Hilary Grant
4/16/2018 07:37:52 am

My daughter and her boyfriend have a dog that's about 40 pounds, and that weight is way more doable in a bed. But, yeah, what can I do? We love them! And about once a month, Hank decides to sleep on the couch all night, which is heaven for our legs! :)

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
    ​

    Categories

    All
    Activism
    Blogaversaries
    Doing It Right
    Food
    Holidays
    Living Life
    Miscellany
    My Girl
    People
    Reading
    Remembering
    Taking Care
    Traveling

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.