LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, December 5, 2008

Fridays Are Golden

Although our dogs are not allowed on furniture, they have two large beds in the great room and two large beds in the den. In addition, they can snooze in their crates which are kept open all day.

Sometimes I wonder why we bother to have so many sleeping spaces. Almost every time Ellie gets situated in one of the beds, Lucy comes along and plops down. Often there is no space, but Lucy sits and then wiggles until she has squashed Ellie if necessary to make a space. She is absolutely unconcerned about Ellie's comfort and doesn't seem to mind if Ellie's head is pressed against a chair. She acts as if Ellie is a giant stuffed animal put there for her enjoyment.

It is of note that while Ellie does not overtly object to this togetherness, she NEVER is the one to go to the bed occupied by Lucy. I'm not sure why she allows Lucy to squeeze her out or use her as a pillow. She is the alpha among the two and could certainly control something like this if she chose to do so.

Ellie has a behavior that my husband thinks is passive-aggressive against Lucy. Sometimes, during the day we will find Ellie sleeping in Lucy's crate! Her own crate is next to Lucy's, and Ellie obviously knows whose crate it is. When it's time for bed, she never goes toward Lucy's crate. We've often wondered what might happen if Lucy came into the room and found Ellie in her crate.

That's a dog owner for you. Trying to analyze doggie behavior. Enjoy our Golden Girls for what they are...the most fun dogs around.













The rush of the season is upon me this Friday. In sixteen days Hanukkah begins. Twenty more days and it will be Christmas Day. I refuse, however, to fall prey to the bustle and rush. Things will get done. The holidays are to be enjoyed and I plan to enjoy them.
Whatever your plans for this weekend, take some time for yourself. Enjoy this short holiday season and don't let others ruin it for you.



16 comments:

Beth said...

Good advice. While I am sorry for the mess that the economy is in right now, it may serve to re-focus the season for many people.

KGMom said...

Do I hear Lucy singing--you are my pillow, my only pillow, etc.?
It is such fun to enjoy these golden girls.
As for the crate--our dog has one. But she rarely uses it--however, our cats do. One cat in particular LOVES to sleep in the dog crate. Only when we leave the house for a long time is our dog crated. She used to be crated at night, until one night she "said"--I'll be good. And she has been. She sleeps on our guest bed. Oh, we tried that--not up on the furniture rule, but it just didn't last. It is hard to make dogs obey rules when cats are around.

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

They're keeping each other warm! Our kitties do that. They are partial to my bf's lap!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

"Whatever your plans for this weekend, take some time for yourself. Enjoy this short holiday season and don't let others ruin it for you."

Thanks for the perfect reminder. I needed it.

Lynne

Kim said...

Great advice! I am going to take some time for me this weekend too.

I love your Golden Fridays. The dogs are so cute on their beds.

Cicero Sings said...

I don't know but if I was Ellie ... I think I'd object every now and again. She has such a long suffering look on her face at times!

Cheryl said...

Lucy and Ellie are such a wonderful pair......I love to hear stories about them......

I to am taking things slowly this year....altough I have a full house I refuse to panic....it will all get done......

Have fun with the golden girls.....

Carrie P. said...

Dogs can be so funny. I wish I could read my dog's mind. Your dogs are beautiful.

Jayne said...

I swear Carolyn, they are just like two kids aren't they? :c) I love seeing them like this... all stacked up and snoozing contentedly. You have a great weekend too!

Tina said...

Seeing your dogs looking so relaxed was what I needed right now..mine is a spaniel and he is the opposite, always moving..and at 11 yrs old you would think he would slow down. I tried to show him your dogs but he was busy sqeaking the toy at me..which means let's play!! ha ha
Hope you have a nice weekend!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Carolyn, We're back from vacation --and had a great time. BUT--I missed you and my bloggy friends.

Your babies look like they are exhausted from being Santa's helpers.. Now it's relaxation time for ALL... Great Advice!!!

Love your Pileated pictures also. Gorgeous woodpeckers.
Hugs,
Betsy

Cedar ... said...

Are your goldens litter mates? They look so comfy with each other! Beautiful babies!

The Birdlady said...

Gotta love 'em! The last photo is Soooo sweet.

cedrorum said...

Your dogs seem to get along very well. We realized recently that our lab mix has been cozying up on the couch when we are away from the house. She won't dare get on the furniture when we are here, but if we leave her inside when we are gone she thinks nothing of taking a pillow off to make herself more comfortable.

NCmountainwoman said...

Beth - I think that attitude will serve us all well.

Donna - Yes, Lucy probably does sing that. I think the no-furniture rule does not work well with smaller dogs. I believe if we had a small dog, I'd welcome it to share my chair. But two large hair-shedding goldens is too much.

Wanderer - I think it's more than warmth since Lucy does that even when the weather is warm.

Lynne - I made a pledge to myself not to let other people spoil my holiday this year. Hope I can keep the pledge.

Kallen - Good for you.

Cicero - I must admit I often wish Ellie would give just one growl that would set Lucy right. You are correct, I don't think Ellie enjoys the closeness.

Cheryl - Good. We just can't enjoy the holidays if we don't slow down a little.

Carrie - Thanks. I tend to read way too much in what they might be thinking.

Jayne - They really are like a couple of really big toddlers. Our human children (now grown) complain that they never had it as good as Lucy and Ellie.

Tina - We had Springer Spaniels (one at a time) before our Goldens. And I totally agree the were much higher strung than our Goldens. But a heck of a lot of fun as well.

Betsy - Welcome home. I'll be looking forward to hearing about your trip.

Cedar - No, Ellie is two years older than Lucy. They came from the same breeder and share one grandfather, so I suppose that makes them cousins.

Helen - I must admit they really do look cute together like that.

Cedrodrum - We had a Springer Spaniel like that. I'm certain these girls do not get on the furniture. There is no telltale hair which would give them away every time.

RuthieJ said...

Oh your golden girls are so pretty!