Buffy Doesn't Sleep In Our Bed . . . kind of . . .

A couple weeks before we got Buffy one of our best friends Morgan, asked Diana and I if Buffy was going to sleep in our bed. Without hesitation, I told her “of course not.”  The idea of a dog sleeping in our bed just seemed weird. I figured that dogs are kind of dirty and hairy and I felt it necessary that Diana and I maintain our bed as our space. Morgan, laughed at my response and made a bet. She said that within six months of having Buffy, she would end up sleeping in our bed and if she didn’t, she would buy Diana and I dinner.

We totally won the bet . . . kind of.

We crate trained Buffy. It worked really well to help house-train her. Buffy took to her crate quickly as you can see in this early video.




It didn’t even occur to me that Buffy would sleep somewhere else until we started taking naps together.

Puppies sleep a lot and within the first couple week of having Buffy she started taking naps with us. Between the hourly visits outside to house-train her, we would play with her and especially during the day take naps with her.

When we first started thinking about getting a puppy I wanted a dog I could play with and Diana wanted a puppy she could cuddle with. I honestly didn’t really understand the appeal of cuddling with a dog until Buffy started to relax with me and fall asleep in my arms.

We are at our most venerable when we are sleeping. It takes a enormous amount of trust to feel safe being asleep with someone else. For Buffy to feel that safe with Diana and I was an important step.  This connection of trust and love with another being warms your heart in a way that nothing else really does.

Once Diana and I felt that Buffy was pretty well potty trained we bought Buffy a bed and started having her sleep in our bedroom.

At first it seemed that Buffy was more into sleeping underneath our covers on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Eventually she  took to her bed and every morning I find her lying there sometimes upside down and sometimes half-off the bed in some seemingly awkward contortion.

I go to sleep earlier than Diana and sometimes I feel a little lonely going to sleep by myself so one evening I picked up Buffy and put her on top of the covers with me. Even though Diana was just in the other room it just made me feel more at ease feeling Buffy’s presence on the bed.  Later when Diana came to bed she picked up Buffy and put her down in her bed where she slept for the rest of the night.  Gradually this became a pattern.

One morning while getting ready for work I though that Buffy might help Diana wake up in the morning, so I picked her up and put her in the bed with Diana. Buffy walked around the bed, sniffed Diana’s face and then curled up in a ball right next to her and went back to sleep. Though my plan to help Diana get up in the morning failed, I regularly do this in the morning so Diana and Buffy can have some quality time in the morning.

No, Buffy doesn’t really sleep on our bed, at least through the night, but I guess she might as well.

When Buffy is near me and she is sleeping it feels right.  It's impossibly cute and strengthens a bond between us that I can't really describe.  When I see Diana and Buffy sleeping together it's a different but equally amazing feeling.  There is a peace that you can experiences with others.  Diana and Buffy bring this contentment to each other when they are sleeping together.

It's truly one of most beautiful things I have ever seen.