Dogs are adorable and there’s nothing like a good cuddle. Studies in various parts of the world suggest that about half of dog lovers sleep with their pets. Smaller dogs are more likely to sleep with their owners, and people without kids are also more likely to invite their pet into bed.
Dogs sleep off and on during the day but humans tend to sleep in one go at night. Therefore, researchers expect pet owners to be disturbed by dogs waking up and going back to sleep again in the middle of the night.
Interestingly, a half a dozen studies conducted in the United States, Canada and Australia in the last few years were unable to pinpoint these expectations.
While dogs definitely do sleep differently than we do, and there are issues about dogs moving about in the night, dog lovers don’t consciously notice this. As for the effect on sleep quality, that’s uncertain too, with some studies finding that people actually sleep better with dogs, and others finding the opposite.
Keeping this in mind, we asked three Malaysian dog lovers to share their experiences.
Christine Lee Chen Qin, owner of Adoring Pets in Kajang, Selangor, lives with a pack of dogs: Mika, a Mame Shiba Inu, and Eva, an English Sheepdog, who are both seven months old; Trixie (a Welsh Corgi), Hazel (a standard Poodle) and Casper (a Samoyed), who are all one year old, and Ash, a 14-month-old Alaskan Malamute.
“I was working with dogs for three years and then started my own business,” Lee explains. “I’m very close with my dogs, and so we live together like a family.”
And like many pet lovers, Lee shares her bed with her furry family.
“Mika and Eva sleep with me, but the others sleep on the floor,” Lee shares. “Mika and Eva are puppies still, so they’re attached. The others like a cool floor rather than hotter cotton sheets, but they’re also cuddlers so they hop in and then hop out again.”
All dogs are furry and with six of them in the house, there will be loose hair.
“Every morning I have to clean, vacuum and mop, and then again in the evening, it’s constant,” Lee shares. “My aircon runs 24/7 and it needs to be maintained and the filters washed every month too.
“Hygiene is always a concern. I clean their paws after every walk, they are properly groomed, and we have strict tick and flea control, both preventative medication and frequent personal inspection.”
In a word, it’s a lifestyle.
Being part of the pack means a certain amount of group adaptability. For many owners, potty time can be a problem. However, Lee has organised her pets.
“They sleep soundly all night and they waken me at about 8am. Sometimes, if we’ve been up late, I add an extra hour. It’s not an issue because I have potty-trained them all. If they need to go to the toilet, they use their potty in the bathroom.”
Su Lynn Nair, an international flight attendant from Penang, has three dogs: Luna, a 13-year-old Husky she adopted from the SPCA five years ago; Storm, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois she’s had since he was a puppy; and Sophie, a two-year-old Westie she adopted in January from a private rescuer.
“Every night it’s the same routine: Luna and Storm go out and Sophie is waiting by the stairs for us to carry her to bed,” Nair explains.
“Luna doesn’t like to be indoors that much. We invite her in all the time but she really prefers the garden. We think she likes the peace and quiet there. She’s a dog who likes her own time and space.
“Storm is quite a serious dog with a strong protective streak. During the day, when it’s hot, he’s indoors with us. But when the sun goes down and it cools off outside, he marches out. He’s on patrol then, protecting us.
“When we first got Sophie, she slept downstairs. But when I went flying in April, my husband invited her into bed. She was sleeping on my side (of the bed) when I returned, and it’s stayed that way,” Nair giggles.
Like many rescues, Sophie was a bit nervy when she moved in. She still startles easily during the day, especially when there is someone outside the gate.
“Sophie curls up close to my husband and sleeps like a log,” Nair shares. “It’s hard to move sometimes and if you move, she just moves with you. In self-defence, we move her to the edge so we have space. She doesn’t even notice. But when my husband wakens in the morning, she has her head on his pillow.”
Khoo Kong Soo, retired chemistry lecturer and current freelance science tutor, got his first dog, Victor, when he was 10 years old, after his sister bought the pup in a basket at the market.
“Mum tolerated dogs but only just, and dad wasn’t keen,” Khoo remembers, “so Victor was an outside dog.”
Khoo is an animal lover, but he didn’t have a chance to adopt his own pet until 2002 when his students rescued a dog hanging around the university campus.
“Eunice was my first indoor dog. She lived with me, and she was an only dog until I met and married Grace,” Khoo smiles. “Grace had three dogs so we became a family of six.”
When the family moved to Kampar, that changed.
“The orang asli who lived in a settlement near us left 11 years ago, and several dogs were left behind,” Khoo shares. “We took in Furry, a female Spitz of uncertain age, and she had pups. We put some up for adoption, but then several other dogs turned up. Like Princess, who was dumped outside a supermarket with her litter.”
Today, Khoo has 19 dogs: Dhomi, Furry, Princess, Max, Bunny, Duke, Leonard, Rambo, Bob, Fergus, Duchess, Prince, Dafu, Meghan, George, Bernice, Carol, Liang Liang and Yuan Yuan.
As some are rescues with traumatic early starts, they are not regular pets intent on living indoor lives.
“They don’t sleep in bed with us,” Khoo says. “There’s too many of them, and some are not happy indoors. Five of them are really outside dogs, they love the garden but are uncomfortable indoors. They only come if there are fireworks.
“But when we go to bed, Dhomi, George, Dafu, Yuan Yuan, Duchess, Prince and Rambo come up with us and sleep on the floor by the bed. Dhomi or George sometimes jump up onto the bed but it’s momentary. I think it may be too warm or crowded.”
But there is one furry who is the exception: Nemo the cat.
“Nemo sleeps on my pillow,” Khoo smiles. “He is there every night, right next to me. But when it gets hot, he sometimes leaves and goes outside to lord it over the dogs.”
Want to sleep with your dog? Here are some things to think about:
> Be consistent. There’s no right or wrong about the question. However, once you share your bed, your pet will be devastated if you change your mind because they will see it as punishment or rejection. So be consistent. It’s either always yes or always no.
> Know it will be furry. All dogs shed and so you will have fur in the bed.
> Fleas, ticks and dirt. Disease appears not to be an issue; if you pet your dog and share a home, sharing a bed isn’t much different. However, do make sure your pet is fully protected with vaccinations, flea and tick preventative, and that you brush daily so you know your pet is clean. And see your vet for a regular appointment and health check.
> Puppies grow. A tiny pup is cute and easy on your pillow but when they grow up into hefty dogs, it leaves you sleeping at the foot of the bed. When you invite your pup into bed, make sure they sleep in a part of the bed that you are happy with – through all the life stages.
> Dogs do dream. Like us, dogs dream, and a few will run in their sleep, woof and toss and turn. So if you’re a light sleeper, a nice dog basket by the side of your bed may be a nice compromise.
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