In the Cook household we have three dogs, all terriers. They are small dogs with Rebel, the largest, weighing around 27 pounds, all lap dogs and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not only are they allowed on our laps, but on our furniture. Even as I write this Rebel, Rosie and Baxter are across the room sleeping together on the sofa. Rosie is snoring.

To me there is nothing more peaceful than a dog asleep on your lap. I love the warmth of his body, like a live heating pad, and the softness of his breathing. It is rare that while watching TV or just relaxing in the evening that on of my dogs is not on my lap. It gives me great comfort.

I am envious of a dog’s ability to sleep so peacefully, anywhere at any time. Like us they seek out the softest spot (ie: the sofa) or a warm sun patch, and they sleep a lot. Working from home I have the luxury of observing their habits. My husband wakes very early and when he gets up to shower, he lets the dogs up on the bed to sleep with me until I get up. After he leaves for work, we all get up and stretch, they go outside to do their business, come in and have a treat, go for a walk and then, guess what? They take a long nap. The rest of the day consists of the same, eat, play and sleep. What a life, huh?

Hearing a muffled bark just caused me to look over at them sleeping now. Baxter’s leg is twitching and he is having a dream. He’s likely dreaming of his new obsession, playing tug of war with his rope toy. He brings it to me several times during the day for a quick game.

I find it interesting that dogs do dream. According to Dr. Nicholas Dodman who is a professor of Animal Behavior at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, dogs dream for the same reason as humans. He writes:

“Like humans, dogs have two main types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and slow wave sleep (SWS). As a dog falls asleep the first stage he enters in SWS, the “sleep of the mind,” in which mental processes are muted by muscle tone remains. The next stage is REM sleep, the “sleep of the body,” in which the body if fully relaxed but the mind is racing and the do’s eyes are darting rapidly.” Dr. Dodman goes on to say, “If you’ve ever wondered whether dogs that seem to be running during sleep are dreaming of catching rabbits or something similar, you can safely say they are.”

So, take a page from your dog and relax. Eat, play and sleep soundly. It’s a sure cure for many an ailment and a recipe for contentment and a life well lived.