Bimini is not allowed on sofa only because it is recovered in a very light ivory color. Aside from that, he sleeps in the bed, on top of me, head on my chest, paws in my side, head on the pillow next to mine, however he feels comfortable (please note this does not always include ME being comfortable). He also sleeps in the hammock with me and gets on my lap if he can fit (depends on the chair). He eats in the kitchen and lays at my feet while I eat. He lays on the floor next to me while I cook.

I've had dogs for at least 10 years now and these have always been the rules. I'm not dead yet from some rare disease, doubt it'll happen any time soon. I've probably ingested a few hairs here and there, but I still believe dogs are cleaner and less "germy" than kids :)

We start out with all the dogs in bed with us. But with 3 80-lb dogs in a Queen size bed.... Often one of the dogs (Buzz, I am looking at you!) will stretch out and refuse to be moved, and WE are the ones that end up moving to the couches. Humans on the couch and dogs snoring away in the bed? There is something wrong with this!

The English are not known as a warm people. They send their children off to boarding school at age 8. This business about dogs is all part of the same picture.

My kids grew up with the dog or cat sleeping on their beds. The grandsons won't go to bed without the dog. Protection against monsters, you know.

Well, I knew about the salmonella. Dogs carry it but do not usually become sick from it, and they can pass it along in their saliva. It's what I always point out when accosted by yet another person who wants me to feed my dog raw chicken.

Aside from that, Spencer's had all his shots, including the one for leptospirosis which some vets don't feel the need for any more. He's protected from fleas and ticks. (An infestation of fleas in the house is nooooo picnic.) He's checked annually for internal parasites. I don't guess we're going to catch anything from him.

He generally starts out the night sleeping either at the foot of the bed or wedged right up against one or the other of us. At some point he migrates to the large armchair in the bedroom. If there is a basket of dirty laundry waiting to be washed in the morning, he's ecstatic and will head right for it. (Eeuwh.)

He eats in the kitchen, and his water bowl is there as well. He's not allowed near the table while we're eating because of his regrettable tendency to beg. This annoys him, and he sits in the doorway making the most pitiable little moaning sounds.

My sister's family kept exchanging strep with the family dog one winter. Eventually, all took antibiotics and were cured. Yep, germs can pass from one living creature to another, and they pass both directions. It's a good idea to wash hands and to keep a dog's water and food bowls clean.

When I got my adult dog, Amie, from the Kansas Humane Society, I didn't allow her on any furniture until we'd taken a basic obedience class together. Once I knew how to communicate with Amie, I gave her freedom to sleep wherever she wants in my house. She's got her own routine now. Sometime around 3 AM, she sneaks up onto the bed so she can give me a big greeting hours later when the alarm clock goes off. Amie is such a perfect dog that she manages to get on the bed most nights without waking up the world's lightest sleeper. Dogs really are amazing creatures for how they adapt to living with their humans, aren't they?

It's getting close to peak dandelion season in my part of Kansas, and it's hard for me to look at artificially perfect green lawns and not think, Toxic waste. I make every effort not to walk Amie anywhere there's been spraying. I'll be glad when many lawn chemicals are eventually banned, but it probably won't be soon enough for a lot of great dogs, not to mention all the wild creatures subject to the same poisons.

Last evening, on Earth Day, I spent an hour or so digging up dandelions in my backyard with Amie and several neighbor dogs watching. Nobody will get cancer from my using a dandelion fork, and I enjoyed the beautiful spring evening. Of course, I did dream about dandelions being used to make biofuel and becoming a rich woman from the bountiful crop....

Nice face, Ace!

LOL, Mary! Maybe you could make some dandelion wine from all those posies. Then you and Amie could host a Yappy Hour at your house. :)

I lift my glass of virtual dandelion wine and and toast this fine blog, its creator John, and all the folks who contribute comments that make the blog an ever better place to visit! (Thanks for the idea, Anne.)