How many of you let your dog sleep on the bed with you?

[montdoug]

At the risk of sounding like a cretin I confess Gus sleeps curled up against me with my arm around him every night, at least until I fall asleep. On occasion we wake to him sleeping between us with his head (dare I say it?) on one of our pillows.

It gets worse. Frequently there are 3 or 4 cats laying at the foot of the bed, on our legs or even perched on one of our shoulders.

It was mentioned at a family gathering a while back and a sister-in-law looked gut shot. Politely stated we might be hygienically challenged (we shower every day honest).

Just wondered how strange we really are as compared to other pet lovers and not an anti pet sister-in-law who cleans her house in her sleep, (she never like me anyway , oh well).

[AllAboutPetey]

Petey sleeps with us (usually curled up against Greg) and has since he was about 6 months (he's 3 now). Belle usually prefers the comfort of her crate at night, although last week while Greg was out of town I let her sleep in the bed, too. But, she's really too.....searching for the right word....hyper, crack dog, noncuddly....to sleep in the bed. Hey, our dogs are clean, we are clean, what's the problem?

[kjwarnold]

Hands raised here in Missouri. Packy sleeps curled up against my thigh until morning, then crawls up to be cuddled in my arm for a while before we get up. It's very comforting and since he's probably cleaner than many kids, it's not a problem for us.

[pkcrossley]

of course. dog, cats too. your sister-in-law could be historically and socially challenged. humans have allowed dogs on their beds/pallets/bearskins for more than 10,000 years. has worked out well so far.

[bradl]

We have four dogs but maintain a strict two-dog limit on the bed.

[Puddlesmama]

I cant let Puddles in bed with me because Dozer will get jealous. And there is noo way I can have a 125 lb Mastiff /Lab in my bed too. So to keep things fair Doze, gets the corner and Puddles sleep in my grandmas hope chest. I open it up and in she goes. I dont think shed have it any other way.

[Cairnmania]

My two sleep on the bed. Rudi would prefer to sleep under the covers - but we are cruel he has to sleep on top of the duvet.

[Jessica H]

My 2 sleep in their crates. I have tried to let Scooter sleep on the bed but he jumps down and gets into his crate. I also know Sadie can't resist the cat food AND the dogs get my attention all day so the cats get to sleep with us. So I am giving a no and there is no particular reason except I never had and its what everyone is used too.

[tlwtheq]

Olie, Teddy, and Sweet Pea own and sleep on a queen sized bed. They allow

us to use it as well.

[Lei-Quinn]

Duncan sleeps with me every night. Grania does when she feels like it.

[Marge]

Our dogs sleep in their crates. We have been crating our pets at night since a Golden Retriever we had chewed up the side of our couch over night. They have their beds, and we have ours. I have several very expensive guitars that I keep in our bedroom. In fact, the bedrooms are off limits to the dogs. There's just too much for them to get in to....might as well not even tempt them.

I would say though that it is your choice as to where your pets sleep. I see nothing wrong with them sleeping in your bed if that's what you choose. Ignore the SIL's reaction, and do what you want.

MAKE it a GREAT day!!!

Marge

[Tracy A.]

Mettwurst sleeps agasint Steve's legs curled up and pretty much stays put unless he sleeps on the floor.

Bratwurst on the other hand sleeps on my side of the bed and changes positon from the bottom of the bed, to between us.... to against my side with his head on my pillow! so when I open my eyes he'll lick my nose! The last position he'll take is on my pillow completely leaving me a pillow edge!

[Chewybacca]

I have one that sleep above my pillow at the top of the bed who sometimes in the middle of the night I will roll over and get a face full of fur and the other sleeps right behind my knees all curled up. I am at the point I don't think I can sleep without them there!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Elle]

When I first got Margie (she was a rescue) she slept in her crate and then one night she jumped on the bed and turned and looked at me with such longing in her little eyes and such an expectant look on her face that I let her sleep with me - and she's been sleeping with me ever since. She sleeps up at the top of the bed an her pillow and sometimes burrows her head into my pillow so we sleep face to face. She is so sweet and I love her so much that I can't imagine sleeping without her and miss her when she decides to sleep elsewhere.

[Izabella's Mom]

As much as I love my girls. I don't think it is hygenic to sleep with them and I'm a fussy pain in the a$$ with the house. I'm the one who cleans it. Now I have fleas to deal with.

So now I am going to treat them with Frontline.

This stuff is on their body oil for 30 days. Do I want my kids with their immature immune systems in contact with pesticides. Ergo, I am so grateful my husband is a strict --no dogs on the couch or upstairs at all--. Thank God. Can you imagine if my dogs roamed 3 floors?

So, I do not sleep with my dogs.

[Kathryn]

Allie sleeps wherever we sleep: in our bed when we're there, in the tent and sleeping bag when we camp, on the couch with DH is he falls asleep before heading up the stairs. She takes naps with us on the couch. For many years this was the only way she could be considered "cuddly," and we longed for it.

T is still sleeping in his crate so we maintain Allie's top dog status. I expect in a few months he'll be with us too. He's already willing to nap!

[Saidi'sDad]

I can't imagine sleeping without her and miss her when she decides to sleep elsewhere.

I feel the same way when Saidi finds other places to sleep She splits her sleeping place between our loft (where her favorite pillow is)which overlooks the front door, and our bed. Then there are those nights when she does not appear to sleep at all. Usually because of some prey (imagined or real???) outside that she desperately wants to "go get"! When sleeping with us she either lies at my DW's feet or pressed up against my leg. She's very considerate and seems to split the time equally between both of us. Although when sleeping against me she somehow ends up pushing me to the edge of the bed and if I push back she gives that annoyed grunting noise in her sleep. It's really quite funny and I've woke up in the night before hearing her do it and cant help but laugh. She's such a spoiled little

[Cairnmania]

As much as I love my girls. I don't think it is hygenic to sleep with them and I'm a fussy pain in the a$$ with the house. I'm the one who cleans it. Now I have fleas to deal with.

So now I am going to treat them with Frontline.

This stuff is on their body oil for 30 days. Do I want my kids with their immature immune systems in contact with pesticides. Ergo, I am so grateful my husband is a strict --no dogs on the couch or upstairs at all--. Thank God. Can you imagine if my dogs roamed 3 floors?

So, I do not sleep with my dogs.

I believe that Frontline and other topical treatments work because they actually move from the skin into the system - which is why it's okay to bath them (24 hours?) after treatment. If it remained on the surface of the skin it would wash off with soap and water.

[oregoncoast71]

Greta sleeps in her crate next to my bed. I share my bed with my cat Cookie. Well, let's just say that Cookie has some personal space issues and she moans very loudly if Greta gets within 15 feet of her. I don't think I would get any sleep if Greta and Cookie were both sleeping in my bed.

[LilyGrace25]

All three girls sleep with us. Lily sleeps under the covers at the bottom of the bed. Grace under the covers at the top of the bed with her head on the pillow. They both have to touching Dave AND if Dave DARES to move around too much he usually gets yelled at by one of them. How dare he interrupt their sleep!

I get Molly snuggled up with me. She

[bogeymom]

We had two boys, and they slept in crates until one passed away. Then Bogey was so lonely that he slept in bed with us for a year and a half. We both move around so much at night that I don't think he slept very well tho. Then we got little Bridget and both sleep crated next to each other. I actually think he is happier, he knows nobody is gonna kick him in their sleep anyway. As for hygiene, I keep them very clean, and Frontline does indeed get absorbed and does not reside on the surface for long. I do hate to think about that being in their little bodies but a necessary evil i guess?

[Sarah]

Henry slept in his crate next to our bed for the first year of his life. He's trustworthy now, so we've done away with the crate for sleeping.

He goes to his bed (next to ours) when we go to bed and he sleeps there all night. He gets up with my husband at 5am and hangs out with him for 30 minutes or so and then always comes back to get in bed with me. I wake up just about every morning with a nose in my face, and him licking me once or twice, at 5:30. He sleeps next to me until it's time for me to get up.

I've woken up several times lately to find Henry next to my side of the bed wanting to sleep with us. We

usually let him, but he never stays the whole night. He huffs and groans if we toss and turn, as if we're disturbing him, so he takes his spoiled self to his own bed.

I need to buy him some stairs to use to climb onto the bed. It usually takes him 2 or 3 tries to make it because it's quite a jump. As a matter of fact, sometimes that wakes me up before I get the nose in the face. I hear the door push open, then I hear him trot in, then I hear him try to get a running start. The combination of small bedroom and tall bed make it almost impossible for him!

[Pepandfriend's mom]

Both of mine (they are six years old or older) start off by sleeping on the old couch with blankies on it in my room. But the Westie generally jumps up later and curls up against me. Pepper is a little weird. He could sleep on the bed if he wanted to, but he will stay there for a short time for cuddles and then move back to the couch and blankies.

My brother's (rather large) Bernese Mountain dog sleeps on the bed when she feels like it. My mom, when she had a dog, would NEVER allow such "togetherness." People are funny! I would sure miss having them close by or curled up with me.

pam

[JerryLv]

We are a five person family. Myself, my spouse, Zen the doggie and Miss Daisy the kitty. We eat our meals at the same time (Different food) and dining areas, excersise togeather (except Daisy)

and the first person who say's "I'm going to bed" makes Zen and Daisy head for the bedroom. The three of them usually go to bed an hour or so before I do because the DW and Zen go for their

daily 4 -5 mile run starting at 4:30AM. Me, I don't start my day until 5 or 5:30AM. When I do go to bed, Daisy will be at the foot and Zen will be stretched out in MY place (Like "hey if your not here I'll

take over your spot"). When I get to the bed I will see him open one eye, because he knows he has to move. When I say 'OK time to move" He immediately moves to the bottom of the bed but he

always gives a small growl in protest. We love having our animals sleep with us and feel safer in the process. The slightest movement outside our bedroom will set off a barage of barking that would

send Attilla the Hun running for his life.

[Hagar]

The first night I got Renny, I tried the recommended dog bed next to my bed. After about a half hour of him whining, I lifted him into bed with me and he snuggled right in and has slept on or in my bed ever since, and the dogbed became the toybox. He usually sleeps on the other pillow, but if the room is on the cool side he will snuggle close or worm his way under the covers. He normally sleeps through the night, but I do occasionally hear him get up to eat or get a drink of water.

One little stunt that he pulls is to wake me up in the middle of the night by licking my face. Being a guy in my 60's. if you wake me in the middle of the night, the first thing on my mind is a trip to the bathroom. About once every few weeks, he actually does want to go out for a late night pee, but most often, when I head for the bathroom, he simply moves onto "my" pillow and goes back to sleep, leaving a corner for me to share when I get back. If he does need to go out, he follows me into the bathroom, and then I know it's time to grab a pair of shoes and take him out.

I have a waterbed ( Remember those?) that sits a little too high for him. So, I have a small footstool next to the bed for his convenience in getting up or down from the bed.

I know that the thought of sharing a bed with a dog will gross some folks out, but in my house that's the way it is. What can I say? He's family.