"No Dogs on the Bed!"

     When I first started dating my Fiance, I could not figure out why he always wanted to spend time at his house, not mine. After a few months, I finally just asked him (funny how this works!) and he answered me "I do not let my dog on the bed".

     At the time, I only had one dog, Brutus Paul and he slept with me every night. I love him and could not imagine sleeping without his fuzzy warmth beside me. When I was reading, watching TV, crocheting or talking on the phone, he was right there beside me. My knee-jerk reaction was thinking "I should probably end it now with this Dog-Hater! Obviously Matthew and I were not meant to be!"

     Thank goodness I didn't do that.

(Yes folks, I am READING, not napping...)

     I came to realize that not allowing his dog Zander in the bed did not mean he loved him any less than I loved Brutus. Zander was much larger- at that time, he was about 145lbs, Brutus was only about 62lbs. A full-sized bed with a full-sized man would be overcrowded if also accommodating a full-sized Rottweiler! Zander went everywhere Matthew could bring him (and some places he couldn't), was well-fed, clean and up to date on his shots. I watched them interact and saw a healthy relationship built on a firm trusting foundation (Zander was also a rescue with a tough past, but that story is for another post).


     Matthew and I will be getting married in September. I have moved in with him, and together we adopted another dog (Grace) approximately 8 months after Zander passed away. There is still a standing rule that no dogs are allowed in Matthew's bed.

     We are fortunate enough to have two spare bedrooms in our house. In one of them, we have another full-sized bed for the pups. It is also my reading room, so I can still surround myself with warmth and softness while I read in comfort.