Comfort

This is Luke and Elsa's office bed.  It was the bed that they traveled or OR on and where they spent their napping time while there.  They pretty much love it.  I can't say that Luke's butt is very comfortable but Elsa seems to like it.  

As I sit here blogging, I have to smile.  Elsa is dreaming at my side; Luke is snuggled up between two pillows and covered with his blanket.  Yes they are comfortable, and they should be.  Over the years I've heard people say "geesh, spoiled much?"  This statement implies that a person is offering a dog something that they do not deserve, more than they warrant as a mere dog.  First let's clear up something that really bothers me with the term "spoiled."  

Spoiled - to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.

Spoiled has never meant something good to me.  I consider spoiling to be a bad thing.  To spoil a dog in my opinion would be to create a monster by over indulgence as the meaning above says.  So, with that cleared up I can move on to the rest of the blog. 

Comfort.

Comfortable - more than adequate or sufficient.  I love this definition.  Yes the floor would suffice but it surely would not be comfortable for Luke to sleep on.  

As our dogs age, like us they need more comfort.  What is comfortable for Elsa may not be comfortable at all for Luke.  He has little meat on him now and when he lays down on a hard surface, you hear it.  He will often lay down outside on the concrete patio by choice but he is only there for a moment before realizing that it is very uncomfortable.  When he goes down you hear his hip bones hit the ground; it freaks me out.  But it is not just old dogs that need comfort; young dogs enjoy it just as much.  If I put a bed down in a room, both Elsa and Luke will use it.  It takes no coaxing for them to utilize comfort.  Am I spoiling my dogs by offering them comfort, NO.  

Dogs require very little from us other than our loyalty, love, guidance and affection.  They need very little as far as material things.  But a good soft bed is a requirement as far as I am concerned.  I hate to see dogs laying on the cold ground of course unless it is their choice.  When I go "new bed" shopping I have high standards.  Not just any bed is good enough for my guys; most gimmicky type beds get left on the shelf.  I want a bed that has substance; a bed that does not just squish to the ground when any weight is put upon it.  I take the bed off the shelf and test it; I push my hands in to see if it can stand up to Luke and Elsa.  The last bed I bought for Luke consists of foam pieces jammed into the bed.  It is wonderful and he uses it every night.  I know that even when he lays on it; he is still 5 or 6 inches off the ground.  So his old bones are nice and comfy.  Elsa uses the carpet often or the other bed which is actually two beds on top of one another.  The whole bed situation is pretty darned comfy in their room.  

During the daytime they spend much of their time on the couch.  Luke has now taken to using a bed that I placed by the couch for those days when he can't quite make it up to the couch.  It is his choice entirely.  The office has a great foam slab bed that they use all the time.  During this colder time of year I have a down comforter on top, pretty nice.  

No, comfort and spoiling are nothing in the same.  One has nothing to do with the other.  In this house "spoiling" is a bad thing; not something you strive for.  On the other hand, treating dogs the way that they should be treated by offering comfort; well that's a great thing.