Strange bedfellows in the cold

My dogs and I aren't dealing well with the cold weather.

Actually, let me add the cats to that statement.

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I don't have central heat in my house, just space heaters. Normally that's fine, but for some reason the past week or so I have been absolutely freezing at night. I know it's been cold, because every morning there's frost everywhere.

Now, normally my dogs don't mind the cold. After all, these are tough border collies we're talking about. Back in the day, Len would no more look for a warm place to sleep than kiss a cat.

And when I let the dogs out to run, Jan and Peg find the closest water to jump in, even if it's a frozen water trough and they have to break the ice to get wet.

So I've always thought my evil little black and white dogs were pretty immune to the cold.

Not anymore.

Apparently old age has hit Lenny pretty hard, because when I open the back door to let the dogs in at night, he's through the kitchen and down the hall, into the bedroom and into his blanket-filled crate before the other dogs are even in the door.

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And although Peg and Jan kind of mosey around the house while I'm doing stuff, as soon as I hit the bed they are right there next to me. That's kind of a reversal for these two, although Jan does like to sleep on my bed. But in the past, Peg liked her crate, or the hall floor, or even the kitchen floor if the temperature was much above 25 degrees.

Now Peg wants to be on my bed, as close to me as possible, and that's where she stays all night. If I move, there are two big lumps of black and white dog that hit my legs or feet.

Then there's Moss.

For a long time, Moss was an uncoordinated puppy who couldn't get up on my bed. When he figured out how to jump that high, he did it constantly. He finally got over the thrill of that, and pretty much stayed off my bed at night, choosing instead to sleep next to my bed where my feet hit the floor. That way he can make me trip and fall when I get up, or scream when I don't know what I have stepped on in the middle of the night.

But now Moss wants to sleep on the bed with the other two dogs. That goes over like a lead balloon with the two queens, especially Jan. For the first 15 minutes after I get in bed, Moss is on the bed, screaming in pain when Jan bites him and then drives him off the bed.

Unfortunately for Moss, he's a slow learner. Even though he's sporting some missing hair on his nose from Jan's teeth, every night he still tries to get on the bed. Eventually he gives up, slams down on his doggy bed next to my bed, heaves a big sigh and finally goes to sleep.

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And the two cats, Slacker and Toonces the Second, also want to sleep with me. They can actually be worse than the dogs, because they can get a whole bunch closer to my face. Slacker gets so close he has actually stuck his whiskers in my nose. Not a great way to wake up, believe me.

The only animal family members that have any respect for me during this cold snap are Sara and Boomer. These two good dogs sleep in the living room all night long, don't bother me a bit, and are cheerful and happy to go out in the morning. Unlike Len, who stands at the back door in the frosty, dark morning air and has to be convinced he really does need to go outside for the day.

I guess the cold is better than the heat; at least I can get warm with blankets and heaters. It's awful hard to stay cool when it's hot at night.

And if I'm willing to admit it, the dogs and cats help keep me warm with their bodies up against mine. I just wish they could be a little nicer to each other about it and a little bit quieter.