Dog Sittin' a Horse?

George and I volunteered to house/dog/horse-sit for a co-worker's sister. No...there were no actual horses involved, but rather a very large dog. To be precise it was a Great Dane, but also her little Lhasa Apso friend. We were a little naive in starting the whole process. Little did we know that both dogs are accustomed to sleeping with their owner. There is no bed big enough for me and two dogs to sleep together! Of the seven nights, there was not one with uninterrupted sleep by either barking or an unexpected visitor in bed.

The first night was a little more eventful than I would have liked. I laid down, getting all settled in, and next thing I know Harley, the Great Dane, was laying right on top of me. Granted, George thought it was quite funny, but I think she could have crushed me had she stayed on me much longer. Lesson learned #1, don't take the Great Dane's side of the bed.

After night one we thought Harley had learned her lesson...until at 5 am we had a visitor in bed. Having only an hour left to sleep, I guided Harley back to the couch where she laid down, and I promptly shut the door behind me and crawled into bed. Well, an hour later when it was time to get up and go for work we found little "presents" around the house showing us who was boss. Lesson learned #2, don't shut Harley out of the bedroom.

A few days later, Harley decided she wanted to stay outside, so I decided to bribe her with a treat to come inside. Little did I realize Brutis, the Lhasa Apso, was at my feet and quickly jumped and bit my finger in an effort to get the treat. Lesson learned #3, don't focus too much on the big dog when the little dog is hungry.

George, Harley, and Brutis

In the living room and family room Harley has her own couch. At times she gets excited and has the ability to knock it over.

This is the position she was in most of the time when she was inside. (and yes, this is a full-size, large, puffy couch.)

Although it was nice for a change of scenery briefly...we are very thankful to be back home, in our own bed, with uninterrupted sleep. The most important lesson learned was the overall lesson...We don't want a dog...we like our sleep too much.