Saturday, October 8, 2011

Fred Woke Me Up This Morning

I woke up a little before 4:00 AM. I had no idea why I was awake, I just was. Something woke me up.

Soon after my home improvements this summer, I decided to adjust the sleeping arrangements between Fred and I. As you well know, I love Fred, dearly, not to the point of weirdness, but he means the world to me. Pretty much all of his little life, he has slept in the bed with me, under the covers.  For the most part it’s worked fine, kind of. His hair is very coarse and he sheds plenty of it. It can be penetrating at times. This can drive a person crazy, it’s itchy. Once, I was walking in my bare feet around the house and one of his hairs poked into my foot like a sliver. I had to get the tweezers to remove it, it was weird and it really hurt. That’s how coarse it is.

Well, it was time for Fred to sleep in his own bed, his snoopy bed, which he readily sleeps in during the day. It was going to be a warm night and I just didn’t want to deal with the “snuggler”, the hair, or the occasional kick that he’s famous for. I put the snoopy bed on my bed, had a “conversation” with Fred about the new arrangement and he reluctantly agreed. That was about mid July when we started our  new “arrangement” and it has worked out very good since then, actually it’s worked out really good, for me anyway. Fred, not so much.

Even though it’s getting into the upper 40’s to low 50’s at night, I still like to have my ceiling fan on and my window cracked open just a bit when I sleep, I just do. It is very stifling for me if I don't have at least a window open a little. I know this can be an issue for Fred so I have tried to make sure that Fred will stay warm while he is in his snoopy bed. It is a challenge. You see, Fred won’t get a winter coat and the Boston breed only has one layer of fur, unlike most dogs, or animals for that matter. Most animals have 2 or more layers. He just isn’t very well equipped for the temps to be too hot or too cold. So before I go to sleep at night I make sure Fred is comfortable and covered up. By covered up I mean covered up. Completely tucked under my old sweatshirt that I use for his top blanket. No nose peeking out, nothing. Most nights he stays that way all night. He really is a funny little guy.
Very cozy snoopy bed

I tucked the snoopy bed into my old robe for extra comfort.


Obviously he's sticking out here, it wouldn't really be that interesting if he wasn't.




Apparently at some point very early this morning, his covers came off,  he made sure I was aware of his plight. He was cold.

As I lay there, trying to figure out why I was awake, I started hearing various noises coming from Fred's direction, not ordinary Fred noises, I heard heavy sighing, an occasional high whine, and a teeth chattering like sound. Ah Ha! Mystery solved! Fred was cold and he needed me to do something about it...NOW. As soon as I glanced in his direction, he POPPED out of his snoopy bed like a shot and stood above me, stared at me with his huge eyes and shivered.

Now here’s where it gets tricky. I know I could just I let him climb into the bed with me and get right back to sleep, that would be the easy thing to do. However, if I do that, I am basically telling him it’s OK to wake me up in order for him to get under the covers. This just isn’t OK for me, I’ve really been enjoying my space a lot and I want this sleeping arrangement to continue. If I let him do it once, it will become his norm, one time, that’s all it takes with Fred. So I compromised, in a way. I let him sleep on the pillow by my head. At first, Fred was quite happy just to be near me and I almost dozed off. Then the whining, chattering and shivering started, again. He was still chilly and I knew it. He was totally flying off the charts on the cuteness scale too. So of course, I started smiling because he was so cute. I probably laughed out loud. Well, since I was smiling and laughing, that was his cue  to really turn on the pathetic adorableness, the whole thing was perpetuating. It was all I could do to not just grab him and snuggle the crap out of him. But I didn’t, and it was very hard for me to resists. Fred knows very well how to push my buttons in order for him to get his way, and that’s one of them. Instead, I got up. By then it was a little after 5:00 AM, I was wide awake.

"What? No, I don't want to get up, it's too early. I can't open my eyes."


I came downstairs, made my coffee and I have been cuddling and snuggling with Fred ever since. It’s now 9:30 AM. I have been up for hours.

"This was NOT what I had in mind"
Me neither pal...
I am really not sure who the winner is here.

Tonight, I think I am going to put a heating pad in his bed, set it on the lowest setting and see how that goes. It has an auto shut off feature and it's pretty much brand new, which is good, just not sure if this will be the solution.

Any thoughts?

14 comments:

  1. Fred sounds like a real character. And definitely one cute little bugger who knows how to push your buttons. I don't have a great solution, but maybe a hot water bottle would work as well as a heating pad without the electrical cord to get tangled in. Or how about some sort of fleece sweater for him. Hope you solve this before the real winter sets in.

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  2. Oooh! I feel for ya. I'm no help at all. Since my husband works in Phoenix most nights of the week, I like having my doggie stretched across my back to keep ME warm and cozy.lol!
    It probably helps that she doesn't have coarse hair, too. Perhaps you could moisturize the hair (not to the point of being greasy, of course), but just to soften and condition the hair and skin?
    See? I'm no help. lol!

    And since my little Dobbie doesn't have a second layer of hair either, she likes to wear a fleece sweater pretty much every day during this time of year. In fact when she is cold, she will come and stand and stare at me...and purposely shiver until I go and put her clothes on. lol!

    You are so funny though. When you wrote:
    "Obviously he's sticking out here, it wouldn't really be that interesting if he wasn't."

    So true and so obvious, but to say? Hilarious!

    By the way, I love the header photo, but I just can't help but notice that Fred's shadow underneath of him looks like either a bra, or a pair of turkey legs. lol!

    ~Lisa

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  3. I do not know how you resisted cuddling him! The Snoopy bed is so adorable and even more so with Fred's little face in the middle.

    Will Fred wear a sweater?

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  4. Don't know what to tell you. I can't get Bentley to do anything but sleep in bed with me. He is adamant and won't take no for an answer. I just gave up and gave in. He's too cute and knows how to use it (like Fred). I even have to put the seat warmer on in the car when we go places in the winter so he won't get cold. I must be a real sucker. If you solve this problem, let me know. Good luck.

    Jen

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  5. I hear you about the fan and leaving the window open! Fred is so adorable. I had no idea that Bostons only have one layer of fur. My Cairn likes to sleep under the covers, but she doesn't shed. I used to put a human baby undershirt on my Maltese to keep her warm. It worked well; it was cotton so didn't irritate. Perhaps that is an option for Fred instead of a heating pad??

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  6. I don't have any ideas other than an electric blanket... or one of those battery operated sock warmers.

    He's so cute - :) But you are going to need some quality sleep - and getting up at all hours of the night isn't going to help... so I hope you something works out!

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  7. Hi Mary!
    We use those "corn bags" that heat up in the micro! They get pretty warm and there are no plugs or settings to worry about. I pre-warm pup beds with them and I then re-heat and stick the corn bags in the beds for the night! It works for us. Of course, Zeke always crawls in bed with us sometime during the night :)
    Fred is too cute! Oh, that mug he has!! I don't think I could resist those eyes and nose staring me while I was laying in bed either!
    You are both so blessed to have each other!
    Smooches to Fred! Hugs to you, Mary!
    xo, misha

    http://www.corn-bags.com/facts.html

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  8. What an adorable little face peeking out of his nest. I think he's found where he wants to be kept warm.

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  9. How cute is that, I know all about the suck you in with the cuteness thing....Kali gets me every time....little brat! I love Fred's Snoopy bed....priceless.

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  10. Yep, I was going to suggest a heating pad lol. So long as it's not right against his skin it can't burn him. :) I bet it will help a lot.

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  11. I hope you and Fred are doing well! I miss you (and him!)

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  12. They make some really great, soft, snuggly heated dog beds, now. My cat even has one in the barn!

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