New Beds

My lower back has been injured for more than a year. The symptoms have included debilitating pain when I stand still for too long, and feeling like I'm 80 years old each morning. Recently, the pain has nearly completely gone away. True, I've joined a gym and am doing strength-training exercises, but I also no longer sleep with a 72-pound dog and a 50-pound dog on my bed.

I bought Porter and Sadie new beds of their very own and they now sleep on the floor. Miraculously, not being pinned in awkward positions night after night has done wonders for my back.

The even better part is that I only had to tether Porter the very first night in order to teach him that I now wanted him to sleep on his bed instead of mine. He didn't even cry or bark or whine. I was very impressed given the ruckus he made the few other times we've tried to institute this new rule.

I do invite them up on the bed each morning after my alarm rings so we can snuggle before I get ready for the day. Now, whenever Porter hears the alarm, he bolts up and sits and stares at me until I say 'Ok'.