Let sleeping dogs lie

I know about a dozen huskies--well, actually a number more than that--who are probably enjoying some well deserved rest tonight. That includes the eleven who finished the Yukon Quest on Allen Moore's Black Team in the wee hours of the morning today but I'm thinking more about my own canines now.

Like small children, there is something so sweet and precious about a sleeping dog. Even puppies who are never still a minute otherwise relax and look so angelic. My two red dogs often sleep close together on my bed, even when I am not there with them. They also have a special bond or synchronicity.

Rojito is a very sensitive little guy. He formed a special bond with Belle that

summer before we lost her when he was new here. He often laid down near her and followed her around outside. I think he understood whether by scent or just some innate awareness that she was old and ill and wanted to comfort and offer sympathy. He has those very dark and intense dachshund eyes, large in his delicate face. He can look at you very keenly at times but always with a tiny frown or bit of concern. That's different from Ginger.

Ginger like most of the Border Collie breed has that giving the eye or staring down trick they use on sheep and cattle to bring them into line. Many dogs will not get in your face and stare right at you; it is generally a threatening or challenging gesture to them. She will; you definitely have to be in charge with the BCs! She knows she cannot get me into or out of any herd LOL.

Still, there is a connection between them for all they are vastly different. Yes, they are both "my" dogs, "the red dogs", but it goes beyond that. Some people have mistakenly thought he was her puppy when we are out walking but that is impossible. Not only are they totally different breeds but she is about four now and he is at least eight! They really do not look alike except for the color. Right now he is almost more blond, faded by the sun on the outer layers of his coat.

Yet too many times to be chance, I have found them both on the bed with their four legs in exactly the same pose or a mirror reverse of each other. Not always of course, but often enough that it was not just a fluke! I even took pictures a time or two without waking them. BTW the tan is a dust cover sheet I use to protect my good quilts! They do get grassy and dusty outdoors.

So when they are napping after dinner and I am on the computer like now, I let my sleeping dogs lie and cherish the sweet peace about them, the contentment they are clearly feeling. They are safe, secure and at home, trusting that no one will harm or bother them here. In their time, they watch over me, too. One or both usually curl close against my back at night so that subconsciously I know I am not alone. After many years with a partner, being alone in bed is an empty feeling. No, I am not talking about sex here or even love, really but just the sense of another living soul nearby, the warmth and companionship. It's a precious thing that my sleeping dogs give me... I wish all who love canines much the same gentle pleasure.