That Dog

Last year, when Corey and I went to Chinle for Christmas, we took Benji with us.  Corey's parents are wonderful, and they noticed that Benji walks really stiffly because his hips bug him.  So to help him out they gave him an old heating pad of theirs.  Well, Benji spent the entire time we were there sleeping on the heating pad, and it really really helped him out.  By the time we left to go home Benji was walking better and was able to lay more stretched out--it made me so happy.  So Corey's parents gave us the heating pad.  Like I said, they're wonderful.  Benji spent the rest of last winter blissfully passed out on the heating pad.

Well, it's been getting cold at night, and I've noticed that lately Benji seems to have trouble settling down and getting comfortable to sleep.  Last night before I went to bed, I dug out the heating pad for him.

He was in his bed in the kitchen.  Benji doesn't like to be moved once he's comfortable so as carefully as I could, I lifted him up, put the heating pad in his bed, and put him back, hoping he'd feel the heat and just go back to sleep.  I went to bed.

Well, I woke up a few hours later, and of course, Benji was in his bed in the living room.  And his kitchen bed was nice and warm.  I swear, that dog . . . I love him to bits and pieces but sometimes he drives me nuts.  So I turned off the heating pad and went back to bed.

I woke up again when Jerbs was getting ready for work, and I decided to go check on Benji, and this time, he was asleep in his kitchen bed.  I snuck up and turned on the heating pad, and when I got up later, Benji was still in bed and looked like he hadn't moved.  He already looks like he's walking a little more comfortably.  And it's good to know that he'll keep warm at night.

Benji's always had an issue with staying warm at night because he's tiny and has absolutely no body fat.  When I lived alone with him he had his own blanket on my bed, and I'd cover him up with it when we went to bed, but he'd always crawl out from under it.  I think I've only ever seen him stay under covers 3 or 4 times in the years I've had him.  Silly dog.

I think his favorite thing ever was when Jerbs moved in with us.  At that point she and I were a couple so we shared a bed, and he used to sleep between us.  Pretty sure that was the highlight of Benji's life as far as warm sleep goes, haha.