Earlier this week I shared the secret as to why Asa enjoys mornings so much. Today I thought I’d share my new appreciation for bedtime. I’ve never been much of an early riser. Nor have I ever been a late night party animal. I tend to keep the same schedule as Mom and Dad, that is until recently when I found my New Comfort Zone. You may recall a few weeks ago I shared how due to a mistake by Mom and Dad, and Asa’s over enthusiastic tail, I spent the evening sleeping in the guest room. Well since that time, I’ve come to claim that room for myself and Asa. I actually look forward to bedtime now almost as much as I anticipate dinner.

This room is perfect! There’s plenty of room for Asa and I to spread out, yet it isn’t too big so I can keep an eye on him. I have a good vantage point from the second floor window of any late night trespassers in my yard, and they can’t pinpoint easily where I am barking from with the sound echoing above their heads. Also it is comforting that I can hear Dad’s snoring just down the hall, but it’s not annoyingly loud like when I’m in the same room as him. Best yet, I can hear Mom coming, so can jump down before she notices I’ve ignored the “no dogs on the bed” rule. She doesn’t suspect a thing! It’s even good for Asa, because in the morning he can go downstairs to watch the sunrise with Mom, while I catch a few extra minutes of sleep alone without him bothering me. So is it any wonder why I try to hurry everyone along to bed early?

In the past, I spent my evenings dozing in front of the TV, would be awoken by Mom or Dad to do one last patrol shift in the backyard, and then curled up on my dog bed and went to sleep. Now I can’t doze off because I’m too excited thinking about my new bedroom. In fact, I even try to speed up our evening routine. About an hour before the time we usually go to bed, I let Mom know that I need to go outside to take care of my business. When we come back inside, I stand by the gate to show my desire to go upstairs. However, Mom and Dad aren’t very observant, and they tend to miss my subtle hint that it is time for bed.

So to regain their attention from whatever show they are watching, I will stand directly in front of Mom and stare at her like I do when it is dinner time. This is then followed by pawing at her, paw stomps, and the occasional whimper to show my annoyance. Mom can be easily confused, so sometimes she mistakes this as me wanting to be petted. A mistake that isn’t so bad, so I don’t mind delaying our bedtime for a belly rub. Mom is usually the weakest link, but occasionally Dad will tell her to ignore me. So I readjust my plan and paw and stomp in front of him instead. Some nights this results in me being allowed to go upstairs early before Asa and everyone else. At first this seems like a good idea, as I circle to find the perfect spot on the bed. But I can’t help but hear the sound of Mom and Dad talking, sometimes even laughing, over the drone of the TV below. What if I’m missing out on something?

Not wanting to miss something important, I will run back downstairs and start the pawing and whimpering all over again. This time though, I refuse to go upstairs until everyone is following me. Sometimes this process happens rather quickly. Other nights it seems to go on forever. Most times Dad gets annoyed and threatens to leave me downstairs. But I know if he does, Mom will quietly sneak down afterwards to bring me up to my new room.