Pearl aka Queen P Update: Snoring with QP

I swore I wouldn’t let foster dogs sleep in our bed this time around. I swore it up and down and backwards and forwards. And for two solid weeks, I stuck to that plan. 

 Every night  - for fourteen straight - Mason put Pearl in her crate before he came to bed. She hadn’t had any overnight accidents (during the day it’s a different story) since that first weekend and slept soundly, so soundly that she snored. Queen P snores like an old man. So, it’s not like I changed my mind because she was unhappy. Or because I had to mop out and scrub her crate every morning. I caved because Queen P is a professional cuddle bug.

Pearl isn’t blossoming; she’s at full bloom. When we first met her, she had such a bad case of demodex mange that it stunted her growth. I think it stunted her emotional development too because she acts like a four month old instead of an eight. I’m guessing she’s so crazy because she’s getting to be a puppy for the first time in her short life and she’s taking advantage of every second of it. 

 As far as personality, I’ve never met a friendlier creature in my life. At least ten people a day smile when they see her on the greenway. And they notice her. They notice her progress. Numerous folks have commented on how far she’s come, how good she looks, how good she walks. 

Queen P finds a hundred things a day delightful, but food might be at the top of the list. In the three weeks since she’s been living here, she’s gained 6 pounds and weighs a whopping 18. She’s not starving anymore but she’s incredibly food driven and can easily turn into a beggar. 

Queen P’s silver fur is growing back with blond highlights at the tips. She’s not beautiful in the traditional sense. Not like Meadow, who is the Gigi Hadid of dogs. But Queen P is unbelievably adorable. Unique. A masterpiece that can’t be replicated. 

So, the other night, after a 12-hour day of working, when I was tired and vulnerable, this little masterpiece wormed her way right into our bed. Adriana and I were already in bed and doing a little mindless reading.. Ade always sleeps under the covers on my right side. 

After about ten minutes, I heard Queen P’s excited pitter patter down the hallway and into the bedroom. She leaped onto the footstool, then the mattress, galloped across the bed and burrowed under the covers on my left side, as though she knew exactly where Adriana slept. She curled up behind my knees. Within seconds, she was still. For a moment I thought about moving her. I thought about getting up and putting her in the crate, but she was too toasty. And I was too comfortable. Like I said, she’s a pro.

I fell asleep sandwiched between two dogs drowning in warm, cozy bliss. The last thing I remember was Queen P’s snores. I remember wondering how someone who weighs 18 pounds can make such a sound. 

When I woke up the next morning, we were in the same places, but all facing different directions, paws thrown over noses, snouts tossed over feet. Mason said when he came to bed we were all snoring so peacefully that he couldn’t move her. We were too content. It’s been a week and Queen P is still sleeping with us every night.