Dog Dreams

I will devote a separate post to write Dexter's "story" (as I did with Tiki, and plan to do with all the other pets) -- but for now, a short tale from yesterday.

When Dexter was a little over six-months-old, we decided he was trustworthy enough to be loose in our bedroom during the night. Originally, we gave him a dog bed that we had received from a friend of my father. It was horrendous. It was way too big, a terrible color, held onto his hair and trapped every foul oder he produced. But it was free, and we were cheap college students.

When we moved out of our apartment, I happily threw it out. Our new bedroom had plushy carpet; I didn't think Dexter (who often slept on hard wood flooring) would mind. Boy, was I wrong. The first few nights he tried to crawl into bed with me. He'd shove his wet dog lips against my cheek and turn on my touch-sensitive lamp with his nose. I finally caved in and appeased him with an old comforter.

I knew this would only be a temporary fix, though. He was chewing holes in the comforter and pulling out the stuffing in clumps. He'd drag it around the room and leave it in a crumpled pile. No, that wouldn't do.

Finally, we went to good ol' Target and found a semi-decent bed. It's navy blue and white, so his hair won't be as noticeable. You can also unzip the cover and wash it, which was a major selling point for me (owner of a dog who pukes stomach acid when he gets hungry). It's looking a bit deflated in this photo, but I think the stuffing just needs to settle.

I'm sure he'll chew through this bed and before long I'll be out buying a new one. But, at least for the time being, he's a content pooch.