Let sleeping dogs lie in comfort
By Liz Palika
July 27, 2010
Riker has always enjoyed his comfort. Whereas many of my dogs, including Bashir and Archer, enjoy sleeping flat on their sides on the tile floor, Riker would much rather be comfy.
I had a quiet giggle this morning as he created his own comfort. As I was reading the morning newspaper, Riker decided it was time for a nap. The blanket was over the back of the sofa so when he jumped up, he pawed it down. Then he pawed it some more until it was wedged up nicely, then he circled, started to lay down, then pawed the blanket again. Apparently it wasn’t quite right yet. Then he circled, and finally got comfy. I waited until he was asleep to take this picture.
Of course, waiting until he was asleep brought to mind the saying, “Let sleeping dogs lie.” And since I tend to ask myself questions — sometimes even out loud — I had to look up the origins.
Variations of the saying have been used in many places by different writers, including Charles Dickens. However, the first record of a variation of it was from Chaucer in 1374. He said, “It is nought good a slepyng hound to wake.”
And so, I didn’t wake Riker. I let him sleep all nice and comfy and I envied him just a tiny bit.
Waking sleeping dogs the wrong way can get one bitten, which I learned a long time ago. I’ve also been slugged in the nose when waking a sleeping human by touching them. It’s way smarter to call their name from a few feet away and let them (dogs or humans) wake up without an involuntary fright reaction.
Comment by KateH — July 27, 2010 @ 7:28 am
That is such a sweet photo. I like these photos better than the posed ones sometimes.
It captures a moment.
Comment by Ericka Basile — July 27, 2010 @ 12:48 pm