Sally's New Bed

I was thankful for many things this holiday weekend: my husband, my family, my job, my health, the smell of wine in the morning, and, of course, my dog. Even though, over the course of said weekend we discovered she had lice. Yes, lice. Turns out kids aren't the only ones who can bring home vermin by playing with less than sanitary friends.

My Mother was actually the first one to discover said lice, after taking her dogs to the groomer, who recoiled at the sight of the little buggers. We had all noticed the dogs had been scratching, thumping their legs in unison so that the floor shook. We ll just assumed it was the change in the weather, their winter coats coming in, and a number of prickly plants in my Mom's backyard. We had no idea they were verminated.

Luckily, the treatment for canine lice is nothing like the treatment for human lice. We didn't have to bag up everything she had touched, and then shampoo it in lighter fluid; nor did we have to comb through her hair with a "nit pick." All we had to do place a small amount of medication on the back of her neck, and watch for the bugs to fall off. And fall they did. We may not have noticed them alive, but we noticed them dead. Suddenly the couch and Sally's bed were polka dotted. Ryan took care of the corpses on the couch, vacuuming until we both felt we could sit on it without feeling itchy. I took care of Sally's bed, taking off the cover to throw in the wash. It was then that we discovered Sally's bed was not long for this world. You see, two years of Sally trying to burrow into it had taken it's toll...

Off I went to buy a new dog bed, expecting an epic quest to find the perfect place Sally to lay her head. Well, not really, but it did involve going to Petsmart, which I hate. Every time I go there they have dogs that need homes, and I have a home, so I feel bad when I have to walk past them. And this time they not only had dogs, but they had PUPPIES! Cute, squirming, warm, so adorable I wanted to eat them puppies. And where were these snack-sized treats? Right by the dog bed aisle. Lucky for Ryan I remembered how much I like being married, or else we would have gotten a dog bed for two.

I have to say that the bed I picked out is superior to the old one in almost every way. It's bigger. It has more stuffing. It's warmer. There is no way that any dog would pick the old, tiny, foam rubber filled disc over this pillow of canine comfort. So, of course, Sally hates it.

All last night we tried to coax Sally to lay on it. We dotted it with treats. We laid on it and rolled around with joy. We threw her favorite blanket on it. We offered her money. All she would do was look at it sideways, and sniff disdainfully. At one point it looked like she was going to have to get on it, since it was right in her path if she wanted to get onto the couch, but instead she walked out of the room, and went to lay on the floor of our bedroom where her old bed used to be.

I'm pretty sure she'll take to the new bed eventually. Ryan says she was like this when we brought the first one home. I just worry that by the time she won't have any claim to it. You see, she isn't the only animal in the house...