new dog beds

it may not seem like that big of a deal to get your dogs new beds. but i think niko and griffin would most definitely disagree. while most common sensible people probably buy a dog bed when they go to pick up their first bag of dog food in anticipation of their new pet, it's been a little more of a journey for these guys...

once the pups were old enough, they were put outside. for good. they were, after all, alaskan racing huskies, it was in their blood to be tough outdoor dogs. and, to our defence, they did have a beautifully warm home-made dog house to sleep in.

the following year however, after having free roaming rights in the bush and sharing a tent with us all summer, it wasn't as easy to throw them in the backyard and expect that they would be happy. so every evening, once darkness fell, they were allowed inside to sleep in the hallway until the sun came out, at which time they were promptly put back out. they were okay with this. six hours of hallway time was more than they had ever had in their lives. they were stoked.

then came the dog sitting episode. we took care of two dogs, one of which brought along her own 'dog bed' with her. it was a sea of fur when trying to navigate the hallway, and it didn't take griffin long to claim possum's bed as her own. after a week of griffin enjoying a warm and cozy sleeping spot, we thought we should probably look into getting her a bed of her own that wasn't stolen from the neighbour's dog. niko however, being the big strong indifferent dog that he was, didn't seem like he would want one, so one bed was purchased, and the games began for who would get it each evening. 

griffin became quite crafty in her attempts to oust niko from the bed, her favorite trick being a fake need to go outside to pee. this would get niko out of the bed to relieve his own bladder, yet as soon as griffin exited the house, she would turn around and wait first in line to enter, bladder still full. being first in line, first in the door, and first up the stairs meant that she got the bed. she was crafty, yet playing that game at 2:00am got a little annoying.

a little while later we got niko his own bed, but he had more fun eating it than actually using it. 

those beds lasted a couple years with much duct tape and quite a few holes. we figured that moving to california may be an occasion to leave the old beds behind and get new ones. so we bought two more, each an appropriate size for the corresponding dog: one little, one big. let's just say that griffin liked to curl up in the corner of the larger bed, while niko was left to spill out and over the small one. not quite what we had envisioned when purchasing the two different sizes.

which brings us to now. two and a half years later and they have new beds once again. although this time griffin's fits her little body perfectly, and niko's lets him spread and sprawl like he usually does. it was a happy day in our household, and those big, hardy, alaskan husky dogs were instantly transformed into soft, lazy, wusses who like to stay inside all day and sleep. it really is hard to put them outside when niko is purring like a little kitten.