I had the best night’s sleep last night, and for once I have Asa to thank for it! It all began when Mom and Dad headed up to bed. Normally Asa and I sleep downstairs, with me choosing one of our four dog beds to sleep on, while Asa crashes on the couch. He knows he’s not suppose to sleep there, but that’s a story for a different day. What made last night special was when Mom and Dad headed upstairs they forgot and left the gate open.

I instantly recognized this opportunity, but made Asa wait until we knew they were fast asleep. One wrong move and our night of freedom would be ruined. You see, Mom is a light sleeper, and hears everything. After awhile we quietly crept up the stairs to explore. Normally I like to curl up and nap on my dog bed in Dad’s office, while Asa hunts down his squeaky stuffed animal friends to play with all night.

However, last night I found myself drawn to the guest bedroom. I haven’t investigated in there in a long time. Unfortunately, Asa came bounding in the room behind me, accidentally slamming the door behind us with his big clumsy tail! I stood holding my breath not daring to pant, listening for Mom. But somehow Mom didn’t wake up from the noise! All I could hear was the drone of their air conditioner coming from their bedroom. We must have tired Mom out on our hike yesterday to not notice that slam!

Realizing though that our adventure was over nonetheless because we were trapped in the guest room, Asa hopped on the bed and curled up to go to sleep. And having no other choice since I was stuck in the room too, I curled up next to him. Mom wouldn’t expect me to sleep on the floor. I had no choice but to break the no paws on the bed rule. Oh what a wonderful, restful night’s sleep I enjoyed!

This morning I heard Mom awake and head downstairs as usual. I knew it wouldn’t be long before she realized first their mistake of leaving the gate open, followed by Asa’s mistake of shutting us in the guest room. Ok, so it did take Mom longer to find us than anticipated because she checked our usual spots first. However, that gave me plenty of time to tell Asa to act natural, like we belong in the room.

Following the thumping sound of Asa’s happy tail, Mom made her way to the guest room. As she opened the door we were standing there nonchalantly, like this was a normal part of our routine. We all shared a good laugh, as she later told Dad where she found us. I even heard Mom say, “maybe when the heatwave comes back they can sleep in the guest room because the air conditioner in there cools the room down a lot better than using the one in the living room.” I foresee a lot more comfortable nights in my future. Although we will need to change the name of the room to Chuck Billy’s bedroom!