Monday, May 19, 2014

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE?



Last night, we were watching TV later than Duke thought we should.  He'd yawn loudly, looking at me.  He'd grunt and root under his blanket.  There was no mistaking that he wanted us to be quiet so he could go to sleep.  Daughter Bethany snapped this photo of him peering out of his blanket for the umpteenth time. He's not a morning dawg, certainly, but he is definitely not a night owl, either!  And let's not forget to mention those naps during the day.

We humans often envy dogs their amazing ability to sleep so much, and it is obvious that they enjoy it.  I like to sleep, too, but can no longer sleep til noon like I could decades ago
before work intruded.  I like to stay up late, but it never worked very well with arising at 5:00 a.m. when going to work to teach all those bright-eyed teens (NOT).  First period classes consisted of being especially interesting in order to keep the students from dropping off in class!

Studies show that American adults still don't get enough sleep.  Parents of young children know all about that, and I remember that time of life very well.  Our first child (who shall remain nameless here) had colic since she was born nearly a month early.  I don't recall her sleeping the first three months of her life for more than an hour at a time.  Yes, Clark and I were bleary eyed.

But our dawgs don't have to get up and go to work.  They don't have to clean house, do laundry, mop and/or vacuum the floors, or load/unload the dishwasher.  Perhaps that is where they get the idea that we are here to serve THEM.  Duke is a good boy, staying right by my side when I don't feel well.  That, my friends, is his job--to look cute and sleep on a human's lap when necessary.  The old adage "Let sleeping dogs lie" means something else entirely, but dogs stay asleep through a lot.  Duke, however, feels that he must always remind us he's ready for bed--he needs his beauty rest, you know.

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