Bailey and the Bed

Kathie went to visit her sister for a few days when Bailey was six months old. When she got home, Bailey was, as usual, good for an entertaining moment or two.

A little background here. As I said, Bailey was six months old when this episode occurred. Still a puppy and, sad to say, still not reliably house broken. She had spells when she was doing great and I got to thinking she’s finally caught on. Then she would let us know that the whole idea that she ALWAYS has to go outside to go potty just didn’t register. From time to time, she would squat to pee on the carpet while innocently looking right at us. If you want a suggestion for something to move an old guy from dead still to moving at near light speed – just put a puppy on the carpet in front of him and get that puppy to squat to pee. That’ll do it. At least it does around this house.

Because of Bailey’s spotty potty record (no pun intended – but it is an apt one), Kathie had been really clear – NO PUPPY SLEEPING IN OUR BED! I really hadn’t argued about it, because the idea of Bailey using our bed as her potty spot didn’t sound any better to me than it did to Kathie.

Before leaving, Kathie asked me - again - to promise that I would NOT have the dog on the bed while she was gone. No problem! I definitely won’t be doing that! And I promise her, you, and anyone else that might care enough to ask – I didn’t.

So, back to where we started. Kathie got back from her trip. I took Bailey to the airport when I went to get Kathie, and they had a nice reunion on the way home. Bailey can be a very effective makeup remover, so she was helping Kathie get settled into being back home - even though we were still on the way. When we got home, I unloaded her luggage. Gotta tell you – I could make a trip around the world with less luggage than she took for that week’s trip. As I brought stuff in, I either put it on the trunk at the foot of the bed or on the bed and I didn’t close the bedroom door.

As I was bringing in the last of it, Kathie went into the bedroom to start unpacking, and I heard my name called. “Jim!” Now, any guy reading this can identify with what I’m going to say. Isn’t it amazing how much meaning a woman can cram into a single word? I knew instantly and with absolute certainty that wasn’t a happy or playful “Jim!” She sure wasn’t calling me to the bedroom for a reunion frolic.

Bailey was on the bed – right in the middle of the pillows – sitting up just like she was posing for a picture (wish I’d had a camera handy to take one).

“Why did you put her up there, when you promised you wouldn’t? You’ve had her sleeping on the bed while I was gone, haven’t you? …” There was more - much more - but it was pouring out so fast I didn’t get the rest of it.

When she finally ran down, my answer was more concise. I laughed at her. And I said, “I didn’t put her up there.”

The fact that looking at prissy little Bailey sitting there like a queen on her throne had me grinning and chuckling probably had something to do with Kathie’s not believing me – but I was telling the truth.

Kathie: “Oh, come on – she can’t possibly get up there by herself.”

Bailey is about 6” tall, the top of our mattress is about 24” off the floor, and even the jump up onto the trunk at the foot of the bed is 18” – so I had to agree it didn’t seem possible. At that point, Bailey couldn't even get onto our sofa without the little steps we had bought for her. I knew I did not put her up there, though.

Me (as I picked Bailey up and set her back on the floor): “I don’t know how she wound up there, but I DID NOT …”

And before I could finish the sentence, Bailey showed us EXACTLY how she had gotten up there.

On my side of the bed, there is a night stand and then a comfy upholstered chair with a small footstool. While we watched with our jaws hanging, Bailey ran around to my side of the bed, jumped onto the footstool, then the seat of the chair, then the arm of the chair, and finally leaped through the air more than a foot and a half onto the bed. Then she calmly and primly walked over to the spot that I had taken her from moments ago, turned to face us and sat down in the same pose she’d been in when we walked into the room.

That was the first night she slept in the bed with us – and she’s been there ever since.