“Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend obviously never owned a dog.” I remember when I got my first dog ever. I was a six year old fearless little girl and I was begging my parents day and night to get me a dog. And so the day came and my parents got me the most beautiful golden retriever that has ever existed. I named her Leia and she immediately became my best friend. I’ve been surrounded with dogs ever since and I have to tell you, that famous saying “A house is not a home without a pet” is 100% true.
Since the day of Leia’s arrival, my bedroom became her bedroom and together we shared my princess like twin sized bed. I made her a pillow from my old clothes and gave her my favourite teddy bear in case she got scared at night. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship that lasted for so many years. I never let Leia sleep by herself because she was protecting me from all the creepy monsters out there. Besides, I loved her comfy long golden hair. That’s how sharing my bed with all my pets became an inseparable habit until recently when I discovered I was allergic to pollen. It turns out dogs got pollen all over their pawns and that made my allergies even worse.
Although I was very sad after this unpleasant discovery, I had to face the fact that I won’t be getting the ‘good morning’ lick anymore (that by the way is way more functional than any alarm). The adaptation was hard for both me and Daisy, my current dog. I would see her wandering around at night and trying to lay beside me when she thought I was asleep. She didn’t like the sofa so I had to go look for some specialized pet beds recommended from the vet.
If you are also one of those pet owners who doesn’t want to get their dog out of bed, here are a few things to consider:
1. Independence
It’s the first and most important advantage of getting your dog it’s own bed. If you let your dog sleep by itself it will become more independent. Daisy is not as attached to me as she once was. Before, she would start barking whenever I got outside of the house and that was making me very sad. I’m not saying she doesn’t love me anymore, but she can take care of things by herself now and that’s better for both of us.
2. Night Watch
It may sound funny, but after all dogs got some jobs to do as well. If your dog is sleeping by your side it won’t notice if there’s anything suspicious going on around the house. Now when Daisy has various pet beds of her own, she can sleep in the living room or by the entrance door and alert me if there’s something fishy going on.
3. Mattress Cleaning
I have to be honest, this was the first thing that came to my mind when I first thought of getting Daisy a bed. I really got tired of the constant steam cleaning of my mattress, I was even considering buying a new one. Now I only have to clean it once a month and when it comes to cleaning Daisy’s bed I just put in the washing machine and it comes out as clean as a new one.
4. Personal Space
We all want to have a room of our own where we can relax and daydream about our future. The same goes for dogs. If you are a good pet owner and you treat your dog properly, you should know that providing a personal space for your puppy is very important. Once your dog gets attached to its bed, it will become his favourite comfort zone.
As the time passes by you may notice many other advantages for yourself from the pet beds and that’s totally fine. That doesn’t mean that you’re being selfish or that you don’t like your dog. The hardest part is the adaptation, but as soon as your dog becomes comfortable with its bed, it will go to it on his own. Just remember, be a good friend and keep your dog’s size and personality in mind when looking for its own bed.
