Boundary No.1: The Bed

So, I'm in the process of moving back home for a while. Yes, I know I am too old for this, but hush you ugly voices in my head! And I am getting reacquainted with my old bed. Since I moved out after college, my parents have stripped my bedroom of all its childlike pink and green flowery print furniture and themes, replacing the comforter with a plain white down and my nightstand with a Victorian style navy blue lampstand. This new decor doesn't mesh well with the pea green wall paint. I'm moving a ton of stuff into the room right now. The closet's a mess of old clothes that need to be dropped off at the Good Will and new clothes that I can't find because the old clothes are in the way. And there are boxes of old albums and miscellaneous trinkets that I can't find the courage to toss out yet piled upon my old desk.

And in the middle of this mess, there's a dog crate. And I must say, most of the time, a very empty dog crate.

Since Linus has arrived at Dad's, I am pleased to report he has lost a couple pounds. Not pounds that he needed to lose, but pounds that he has shed along with his old way of life. He's gone from chilling at the apartment all day with evening walks to spending his days exhausting himself with two playmates in a backyard. So, in the past few weeks, my (constantly dirty) athlete has discovered he can spring like a little wind up toy onto my bed without permission or hesisitation. And from the look on his face, you can tell he's quite proud of this new development.

It never fails. I'll walk into my bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face and moisturize. I'll turn the corner to head to bed, and someone else's mound of a head is lying on my pillow. Literally, on my pillow as much as it will fit. He's already snoring, even though his eyes are open, and staring right at me as if to say, "Oh, I'm sorry. Were YOU planning to sleep here?"

I am almost certain his body gets heavier when he lies on my bed. I have to peel him away from the sheets, without any of his help, and cradle him in my arms. Once, I have to literally roll him off the bed because I didn't have the energy to pick him up. And he refuses to help you remove him. When we get to the crate, which sits at the foot of the bed (close enough, right, buddy?), he gives me such an expression of disdain, I usually apologetically resituate him on top of the comforter. I am such a sucker.

A few nights I have let him stay on the bed all night, as long as he remains on top of the covers. Mind you, his snoring is so loud that only a mother's love would permit the noise. He's the biggest bed bully I've ever known - and my sister, Laura Marie, is a pretty tough one to beat. I've woken up at 3 a.m. dangling along the side of the bed to find my monster sprawled out as far as his compact little body will allow in the dead center of the bed. How he manages to do this is a midnight mystery that I may never uncover.

I am a sucker when it comes to bedtime for two reasons, mainly:
1. He's so darned cute when he's tired. Either he's a perfect picture of innocence, or he really knows how to act. And I don't know who taught him that skill (perhaps one of my Dad's dogs). But he's good at it.
2. Bedtime is the only time he really shows much interest in Mom. Lately, Linus has entered a macho stage of his adolescence - he thinks he's too good for Mommy. He will greet me with genuine affection, but he never wants to snuggle with me. Heartbreaking as this is, I am always reassured that he still loves me when I see he has snuck up to snuggle on my bed. He doesn't invade Dad's bed, Noah's bed or anyone else's bed ... just mine. And there's something endearing about his choice of sleep location. I can't help but think he chooses me because he knows who Mommy is.

So here's my ruling on Boundary No. 1: The bed is a place for human rest, not doggie rest. If your pet is climbing with confidence atop your bed and snuggling under your sheets, as mine is, he is undoubtedly showing signs of dominance that are too easilly confused with adorableness. But every so often, especially if you are dealing with a macho man like me, soak up all the love you can while it lasts. Because before you know it, the alarm will go off. He'll leap off the bed to the food bowl or the back door. And that peaceful time you get to share together will be gone.