The other day we returned from a walk in the dark, and I hurriedly let the dogs out of the car and in to the house. Then I was distracted by another task – possibly shutting the ducks in for the night, bringing in something from the car, or most important task of all putting the coffee on! Anyway, it meant that by the time I made it into the lounge both dogs were settled on the couch.
Buddy looked okay – Labs are so low maintenance, that short drip dry coat – but look at the state of Star! If I’d seen how muddy she was I’d have at least towelled her off, if not washed her tummy. However, I didn’t have the heart to wake her up, so I settled for taking a photo!
Later I wished I had woken her up as she might have slept better through the night. I was woken at about five in the morning by the patter of Bichon paws on a hard wooden floor, and a series of gentle tugs on the duvet. Star was awake, and bored. She was dancing round, and dive bombing the portion of the duvet that had slid onto the floor.
I was not amused, and put her firmly onto her bed, and told her sternly, “Bed!” It can be hard to discipline Star, as she looks at you with such a naughty twinkle in her eye and wags her tail so enthusiastically, but it’s easier to keep a straight face when she’s woken you up way too early.
Since I was awake anyway, I nipped to the loo, and as I came back into the bedroom, she was lying next to Buddy on his bed and glaring at me, as if to say, “I’m not staying on my bed, but I am on a bed so you can’t actually tell me off.” I tried to go back to sleep, but it wasn’t long before I heard her tiny pawsteps heading off out of the bedroom. Then in the distance, in the lounge I assumed, I heard her jumping around, obviously playing where she thought it was okay to play, having been told off in the bedroom.
It was distant enough not to keep me awake so I left her to it. The only problem was that if I could hear her, so could Buddy, and he soon came to the conclusion that there was fun going on that he was missing out on. He sat at the foot of the bed and whined quietly. The door was only slightly ajar, enough to let Star squeeze through, but far too small a gap for Buddy, and he is such a gentle dog that he is reluctant to push in or out of a room!
I can’t tell you whether he did eventually get out of the bedroom, or whether Star chose to come back, as at about that point I fell asleep again. By the morning though, they were both lying comfortably on their beds, looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths. Except I know better!
Take care,
Julie x