One thing many people might have guessed about me is I’m a millennial. That means I love my dogs like they’re my children.
Because they are children.
I have two best friends who are moms, and they both agree with me that my dogs are worse than their kids were, so I feel valid in my assessment.
Namely my lab, Cosmo. He’s sweet, cute, dim-witted, and lovable.
But the other day I walked into my regular breakfast place, exhausted, and announced to the owner that someone has decided he’s not sleeping in his bed anymore and woke me up at 4 a.m. because he wanted to sleep in our bed.
She knew exactly who I meant, but another customer who was there with her son said ‘Oh, I remember those days.’
I very sheepishly had to tell her I was talking about a three year old dog, not a toddler.
And I don’t know what his problem is. He’s acting normal otherwise. The only thing I can think of is that it’s colder at night and he wants to be warm.
Never mind that his bed is directly next to the only heat vent in our room, and he has his own blanket.
After a week of this nonsense, I dug out his old training collar. He’s pretty distractible, so the beep sound of the collar helps us get his attention. After one beep the other night, he went right back to his bed, no issue.
He’s pushing his limits, and I don’t appreciate it.
This isn’t the first time he’s done this, but usually he has a reason. More than once he’s had an upset stomach in the middle of the night and the only thing he wants when he feels sick is to cuddle me, his mom.
When I tell people I stayed up all night on the couch with an 87 pound dog sleeping on top of me, I feel ridiculous. But I bet most parents of kids remember doing the exact same thing with their children.
My pups are part of my family, antics and all. And I’m sure anyone who’s been kicked out of their own bed by their kid (or dog) understands. We love them unconditionally, anyway.