Sweet dreams with a puppy

On Friday, I was spending the night at a friend's house. It was a bit cold, and she had already gone to bed. She was asleep a few feet away from me, so I didn't want to make a bunch of noise getting up and opening the door in search of more blankets. Also in the room were Vinnie and my friend's dog, Mimi, and I knew that if I got out of bed, I would end up stepping on one or both of them, or at the very least, waking them up as well. Once they were awake, they would remember the existence of each other and start to rough house again, even though it was past 1am. Mimi loves her cousin Vinnie. And it's totally mutual.

But... I was cold. Usually at home, Vinnie sleeps by my feet, and on the super cold days, I cuddle up next to him and we sleep back to back. Body heat. So this time I decided to use him again. I whispered, "Vinnie?" and snapped my fingers as quietly as I could. I heard him stir a bit, and then slowly stand up from his warm and comfy bed. Seemingly sensing the sensitivity of the issue, Vinnie carefully and quietly crept over ... quite a feat for an otherwise boisterious 2-year old lab! He got about an inch away from me, his nose in front of mine, breathing steadily. "Lie down," I said, and he obediently tiptoed back to his bed! Well, he is super obedient... I guess I wasn't clear in my instructions. I called him back over and again he walked up to where my face was. "Lie down," I said again, but this time I reached up and grabbed his collar. Would he understand this time? Yes. He looked at me and then settled himself by my feet. Instant warmth. Sometimes it just takes a puppy.