Stories Of London

The first night after the dog moved to my house, I presumed that he would sleep on his couch.  About ten minutes after going to bed, suddenly I was shaken when Casanova/Puppy jumped up on my bed and proceeded to make himself comfortable.  It needs to be remembered that I was not used to the keeping of dogs as pets and certainly did not know that oftentimes they like to sleep on their owner’s bed!

As Casanova/Puppy began to make himself comfortable, I thought of possible dog-parasites such as FLEAS and TICKS and wondered if he had any!  Would I be bitten by such creatures?  But then I remembered that my neighbour had said that he wore a FLEA & TICK COLLAR and that he was treated regularly to avoid the numerous dog-ailments etc. etc. etc.

Flea & Tick Collars

Whether I wanted to have the dog on my bed or not was decided for me, since he took matters into his own paws (!!!) and was licking my face.  Soon after, he began settling into a comfortable position along side of me.  As he searched for the perfect position, I found myself being pushed further and further towards the outer edge of the bed.  I found it hard …… very hard …….. to move him across the bed.  He weighs some sixty pounds and resisted my efforts.  Evidently, according to him, the bed was now HIS and I was being allowed to share it, but only up to a point!  In fact I got the impression that he wanted me to take up a small corner preferably at the foot of the bed since it was evident that he wanted my pillows too!

Once I got up and made my way around the bed to HIS side of the bed, I tried to slide him over.  He resisted.   As the reader may know, trying to move a person or a heavy animal that does not want to be moved, is no easy task.  However, I was not going to be defeated.  The dog needed to learn that it was MY bed and not HIS.  Eventually, the battle was won.  But by the time I walked around to MY side of the bed, he has moved back over!

After another battle where I managed to regain most of the bed, he seemingly accepted defeat, or seemingly so, and settled down and was soon asleep.  However, when morning came, I notice that he had, somehow, managed to ease himself into the centre of the bed once more and I was found on its edge!

-oOo-

Since this was his first night in his new home, I allowed him some leeway and had willingly accepted his gaining half of the bed.  What I had not bargained for was being woken at 5 a.m. the next morning with licks on the face and whacks with a tail ………. which can hurt by the way!  But more about this behavioral pattern later.

-oOo-

Over the coming days, I was to learn that dogs both snored and dreamed.  Fortunately, his snoring is not loud, but it is noticeable. I also was made aware of his periodic jumping and kicking out with one of his limbs.  In humans, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), or Periodic Limb Movements in sleep (PLMS), was previously known as Nocturnal Myoclonus.  As of yet, there is no known explanation as to why this occurs in humans, so I doubt that there is any in dogs either.  I presume that this periodic movement to due to his responding to a dream.  Fortunately after my trying to calm him  his jumping and kicking was soon brought to an end.

-oOo-

On a more amusing note (at least to me), several nights later, I heard the dog eating (Nocturnal Mastication; Sleep Bruxism)!  When I looked at him, I saw that he was actually chewing and obviously enjoying his meal!  I had to laugh, as my father used to do this after drinking too much.

-oOo-

We have now fallen into a routine when it comes to going to bed.  Casanova/Puppy is ready for bed at 7 p.m. and was most vexed when I refused to accompany him to the bedroom at this time during our early days together.

Aren’t you tired yet?  Well I’m ready for bed now

Once he realised that I was not going to go to bed, he took to pacing up and down and gazing at me, which honestly gave me the impression that he thought that it was high time for me to be in bed!!!  Eventually once he understood that I was not going to bed just to please his wants, he decided to climb up on his couch and have an early evening snooze.  Once back on the couch, he soon fell into a deep slumber and would occasionally snore!

Early Evening Snooze

-oOo-

Incidentally, the dog dislikes my working on the computer during the evening.  He is a firm believer in going to bed once the sun goes down!  Once he has awoken from his early evening snooze on his couch, he is ready for the house to shut down for the night and he is most miffed should I be busy doing a job that he believes should be done, and completed, during daylight hours!  He stands at the door of my office and huffs and puffs for a while in order to gain my attention whereupon he looks at me like a disgruntled parent that tells me that he wants me to go to bed now!  Should I refuse his invitation, he walks off and returns to the couch where he is soon sleeping once more.

-oOo-

When I am ready to go to bed, I quietly get up and try not to make any noise that might awaken him.  Once I am ready, I get into bed and position myself so as to claim the majority of the bed.  About half-an-hour later, I hear him walking along the corridor to the bedroom.  He generally waits at the doorway and then stealthily tip-toes in.  He next walks around the bed to ensure that I am indeed in the bed and then goes to the foot and jumps up.

His jumping-up onto the bed has become less violent with the passage of time, and should I be  asleep, I am not always woken up by it. Since he finds me well-positioned on the bed, he is forced to the outer third of the bed.  He will always try to push me over, but, like him, I too am now heavy and not easily moved.  Most evenings now, he appears to have accepted that he can have either a third of the bed or go to the foot where he has more room to stretch himself out.  Lately he has been choosing the later.

Once he has decided where he is going to sleep, he settles himself in either an extreme faetal position or else with his front paws stretched forward and his hind legs stretched back.  When completely comfortable, he immediately falls asleep and remains so.

-oOo-

Should I not be prepared to get out of bed by 5.45 a.m., I am helped to get up by a number of licks on the face!  On the extremely rare occasions when this fails to rouse me, I am then subjected to a number of whacks with his tail, which when strategically placed, can hurt!

-oOo-

I was amused a few nights ago when during the night I moved my hand and caught his tail.  I began wagging it for fun.  After a few minutes, obviously irritated at my apparent wish to play, he stood up on the bed, turned around and lay back down with his tail out of my reach!  He was having no tail-wagging at this time of night!!!

—oooOooo—