I Promise I Love My Dog

on December 7, 2011
in All Posts

On the road again!  My hotel room already looks like a tornado hit.  I’ve tested out the bed (it’s comfy).  And I’ve ordered room service.  Oh, hotel life.

 

Breakfast was consumed while blowing hair and applying make-up.  I think I still have some egg in my hair.

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A giant banana on the plane – which made the whole aisle reek of banana, too.  Sorry, seatmates!

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And room-service: a big old salad and a hummus spread. 

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So – side note… In my 13 Weeks update, some people said they felt sorry for James that we were  kicking him out of the bedroom.  I don’t want you guys to think I’m being mean to the dog (or playing Maggie favorites).  Some explanations:

 

  • James gets up and down from bed two or three times a night, waking up both me and the Husband and seriously impacting our quality of sleep, which makes it harder for us both to do our jobs in the day time.  It has been particularly bad during pregnancy because I am already getting up more to pee, etc.
  • Maggie, on the other hand, never moves when she falls asleep so she is not the problem.
  • We used to let him sleep on a dog bed on the floor, but he would ‘sneak’ into bed when we were asleep and then we would wake up 3 hours later to find him in the bed. 
  • We cannot raise the bed because the frame sits on the floor.  It’s a modern like that.  Also, James is named James Bond for a reason.  He can jump like 6 feet vertically into the air without a running start. 
  • James will get used to being in the other room in two – three nights (I predict) but Maggie is totally insane and has severe separation anxiety and it would take MONTHS (literally) to get her to sleep in another room alone.  I do feel like it would be mean to make Maggie sleep alone because her anxiety is so severe.  James, on the other hand, is well-adjusted and is just going through the initial whiny phase of a change. 
  • James and Maggie get EVERYTHING they want and live like a King and Queen.  Constant attention, constant love, constant treats and fun.  This is probably why we are having this problem in the first place – we indulge everything they want.  If this is the worst thing that happens to James, he still has got it pretty good.
  • I have not figured out what we will do when a guest comes (obviously, we will wash the sheets!).  Maybe by that point, he will be okay with sleeping in the living room and not barking.

 

That being said… if there is a solution here that I’m missing (but trust me, we think we have looked at all the angles), I would love to know it!  I learn a LOT from the comments section and maybe there is a better way.  The number 1 suggestion that I received already is to put him in a dog bed on the floor, but like I said, he will sneak back into bed (he is definitely smart enough to catch on fast that he shouldn’t wake us up as he gets into bed if we kick him out a few times).  If we don’t kick him out immediately and correct the behavior, won’t he not understand what is happening and why?  That is my understanding of dog training – i.e. no sense in yelling at a dog for destroying the trash when you get home, because he’s already ‘forgotten’ he did it – but I am obviously not a dog training expert.  I only pretended to be one last night.  Hah!

 

Advice? Suggestions? Have you ever gotten a pooch to stop sleeping in your bed?  Oh – and side note:  The ultimate goal of this is to get James to sleep in BabyHTP’s room in a dog bed, so he’ll have a sleeping buddy in six months.  I should’ve mentioned this earlier!  I think he would be excellent protection for the baby and would alert us instantly if someone was at the baby’s window. 

{ 115 comments }

 

  • Carly (Swim, Run, Om) December 7, 2011, 4:45 pm

    Here is my solution … get two crates (one for each). Each crate gets a comfy pillow/small bed, a couple of toys. They should be big enough for each dog to stand up and turn around in, but not huge. Close them both in their crates. They will cry and you will not sleep for a few nights (but apparently you’re not sleeping much now, right?). Soon the crate will be their safe haven and they’ll both go to their crates to sleep, no closing the door required. They can both be in the same room (whether that’s your bedroom or not), and a comfy crate should soothe any anxiety issues Maggie may have.

    And the next puppy you get, crate train him or her from the beginning and you will never have these issues again. 😉

    • Caitlin December 7, 2011, 4:46 pm

      @Carly (Swim, Run, Om): Great suggestion… but both of my dogs have really bad crate anxiety. James makes his nose bleed trying to escape.

      I have the most high maintenance dogs ever.

      • Carly (Swim, Run, Om) December 7, 2011, 4:52 pm

        @Caitlin: Ha! Trust me, I understand high maintenance dogs. Bowser’s the worst!

        If you DO consider trying the crate again, then I’d recommend keeping the crate in the bedroom so he can see both of you guys. And again, it should be comfortable but not huge … big crates just defeat the purpose. 🙂 It will all work itself out eventually! Happy sleeping.

        • Carly D. @ CarlyBananas December 8, 2011, 9:33 am

          @Carly (Swim, Run, Om):
          I agree with Carly. I initially kept my dog’s crate next to the bed and slept with my arm hanging off the bed and into the top of the crate. I also put a pillow case from the bed in there. There’s a bed in his crate and he is fine. Granted, this was how I got him over the crate phobia – he’s in there while I’m at work and does sleep with us at night. He has HORRIBLE separation anxiety and the crate has really helped it. If I leave him out in the house when I’m not home, he spends all day trying to find me and barking and scratching at closed doors… but now that he has his crate he just goes right in and that’s his little place. He hangs out there during the day (except when the dog walker comes – and she said he goes right back in when she leaves) and is fine. Really, crate aversion can be worked through and it can be a life saver for anxious dogs!

    • Carly (Swim, Run, Om) December 7, 2011, 4:48 pm

      @Carly (Swim, Run, Om): Oh, and to add … the dogs may very well naturally gravitate to the baby’s room. The mini schnauzer I grew up with automatically went to sleep under my crib. My mom didn’t even use a baby monitor because he would alert her. So you never know!

  • Juliene December 7, 2011, 4:46 pm

    We went through a similar experience when we got pregnant last year. We also have 2 dogs-a 3 legged dachshund and a papillon mix rescue- who slept in bed with us. They are definitely spoiled and get everything they want but my sleep being compromised was not working. We bought a big baby gate and penned them in our dining room. It took a few weeks for them to totally adjust but now when you say “puppies it’s bedtime” they run to their beds in the dining room. Sometimes they go in without being told. Point is that even high maintenance dogs will adjust. Also our rescue us nervous and barks at everything and even with a sliding glass doorbge can see out he doesn’t bark at night anymore. Whoa that was long. Good luck!

    • Caitlin December 7, 2011, 4:47 pm

      @Juliene: Oh this gives me hope!

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife December 7, 2011, 4:47 pm

    I don’t have a dog, but I thought your explanation on the last post was fine. I am sure the baby (And the dog) would appreciate a sleeping buddy! Very cute 🙂

    Good luck on your presentation!

  • Rachel December 7, 2011, 4:48 pm

    Before I gave in and let my dog (a small beagle) sleep in my bed, he slept on a dog bed in a large crate in my bedroom. This kept him from howling at night and waking up my then roommates, but also kept him sleeping on his bed instead of mine. Of course there are plenty of people out there who would never let their dog in their bedroom, let alone in their bed, but I do think it’s a bit cruel if James is used to sleeping in the same room as his pack, to suddenly isolate him at night. But, maybe he will adapt quickly. (And I do know there are plenty of people who disagree with crating, but I think it can be done humanely)

    • Rachel December 7, 2011, 4:50 pm

      @Rachel: Oops, just saw your comment above, so forget that. Have you tried using a spray bottle to keep him off the bed?

  • Laine December 7, 2011, 4:49 pm

    I had an aloof husky who barely wanted to be in the same room with me, let alone sleep on my bed, but I do know that dogs feel good when they have consistency and when they feel like their owner is the leader of the pack. You seem to be doing both of those things.

    Now, I will say – if you want to not be getting out of bed 18 times a night to tend to the baby, get a sidecar sleeper so he or she is next to you and you can be there with a hand when they stir, or a boob when they wake. My sisters have co-slept with their kids (2 each) and none of them ever had sleep issues or bedtime issues. And, being near their mother’s breathing helps babies regulate their own breathing. (There’s my unsolicited advice on your sleeping arrangements since I missed the whole dog thread.) : )

  • Anne @strawberryjampackedlife December 7, 2011, 4:53 pm

    Our dog is NOT allowed to sleep in our bed (by order of the husband). We used to shut her up in our room to avoid her doing bad things while we were sleeping. She has a dog bed and blanket. Now we let her have free range of the house at night. She likes to move from her dog bed, to the sofa, to the recliner. It also means that she sleeps later in the mornings.

    As far as training, you could train James to not be on the bed at all. That way he could sleep with you in the room, but not on the bed.

    And for the baby/dog combo? Our dachshund slept under my crib when I was a baby and would come running into my parents’ room when I started to cry. She was very protective.

    GOOD LUCK!

  • Jenn S December 7, 2011, 4:54 pm

    I very rarely comment (if ever), but I just wanted to come to your defense here! Obviously you love your animals–and even if the dog isn’t in your room, you’re still giving him a safe, comfortable location to sleep in.

    Also, didn’t you say he walks all over you at night? Even if you could get adjusted to the sleep schedule, it seems like it would be a potential hazard to have a dog accidentally step on your stomach! Baby and Mom health comes before doggies!

    • Caitlin December 7, 2011, 4:56 pm

      @Jenn S: Thanks gurl 🙂

      Do you think a 30 pound dog could really damage a baby in the stomach? I always thought my poochies were too small but maybe I am wrong and this is definitely something I don’t want to be wrong about!!!

      • Jenn S December 7, 2011, 5:04 pm

        @Caitlin: I’ve never been pregnant but I’ve always been kind of squeamish imagining things stepping on a pregnant tummy!

        • Brendali Leonardo December 8, 2011, 11:10 am

          @Jenn S:
          Its better to be safe than sorry! Its my best friends baby, who is practically my SON, and he constantly tries to wack my “beyee” (as he calls my baby bump). When he succeeds, trust, it hurts! I dont think you would want anything stepping on it (even an adorable pooch!)

      • Carrie @ No More Tomorrows December 8, 2011, 12:06 pm

        @Caitlin: my dog is 8 pounds. She hurt when she stepped on my stomach. Still does but I was a lot more sensitive to it when I was pregnant. In fact, one of the first things I thought when I lost my son was that it was her fault. It wasn’t. But yeah, dogs on belly should be avoided no matter their size.

        • Amy December 9, 2011, 9:10 am

          I think that you should trust your body’s ability to protect your baby! Women carry children with while lifting toddlers and young children around everyday. Your 8 pound pooch couldn’t possible hurt your baby, saftly protected in your womb.

  • Kim December 7, 2011, 4:56 pm

    I felt sorry for James earlier, but I completely understand. My cats wake me up 5 or 6 times a night to either go outside or to come back inside. They have me completely wrapped around their little paws. I love the guys, but I NEED QUALITY SLEEP. I hope your solution works, it seems well thought out.

  • Marci December 7, 2011, 5:09 pm

    My dog actually started sleeping on the bed less since I’ve been pregnant. We think she knows something is up, but she starts on the floor and moves up a few hours later. She used to get on the bed and never leave. I think she thinks I take up too much room. I love having her on the bed though!

  • Sarah December 7, 2011, 5:10 pm

    Awe… I love that you want him to keep watch over babyHTP 🙂

  • Ashley @ This Is The Place December 7, 2011, 5:10 pm

    I don’t think you’re being mean to James. He’s a dog, sleeping indoors on a guest bed. He’s just fine.

    But having trained and showed dogs for years, I did want to let you know that kicking James off the bed, even if he got up earlier while you were sleep, will still teach him to stay off. You’re right about the trash analogy, but when James is on the bed, he is still actively doing wrong, so he should be able to connect the punishment and the behavior. “On the bed” is bad, regardless of when he got up there. That said, it will probably take longer than putting him in the guest bedroom.

    Just an fyi. Don’t worry…James will adjust in no time! My mom moved her dogs to a basement kennel for sleeping and they fussed for a few days, but got used it.

    • Caitlin December 7, 2011, 5:11 pm

      @Ashley @ This Is The Place: OOOOOOOOOOOOOh good point!!! You are so right.

      • Cat December 7, 2011, 6:24 pm

        @Caitlin: I’m not an expert, but I was going to say that I thought the same might be true, that he will learn it’s wrong even it’s not during his “act” of jumping up on the bed. My dog usually starts in her dog bed near the bed and then somehow ends up at the foot of the bed in the middle of the night. She’s stealthy so I never notice it, so that’s good! Co-habitating with my bf since this summer has been interesting though, because while my pup didn’t really cuddle me during the night, once he started staying over regularly, she cuddles his legs almost every night! I find it pretty funny 🙂 I’m still her favorite though…I think!

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb December 7, 2011, 5:10 pm

    i totally agree with your doggy in the bed analysis. ours both sleep in our bed right now (lord, help me), but we are thinking about phasing them out… and it is definitely NOT because we don’t love them!

  • vks December 7, 2011, 5:10 pm

    We made the mistake of being unable to resist snuggling with the dogs in bed, so now they both get up there — sometimes when they are invited, and sometimes when they sneak up. In fact last night the puppy was on the floor, but when i got up to go to the bathroom he jumped up and stole my spot in bed! He had his little dog head on the pillow and everything.

    Sometimes we put the little one in his crate (in the guest room) and put the big one in the same room and close the door, just so we can have a disruption free night. There is usually a little scratching on the door, but the crate keeps puppy happy and the other dog will scratch, but she’s like James, just a little whiny. Like “Um, guys, this is not the normal routine, might I inquire as to the reason behind the shakeup. Thanks.”

    I feel bad kicking them out, but geez they only have the worlds nicest dog bed to sleep in when they aren’t getting to snuggle with the people. They do indeed live like Kings and Queens!

  • Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) December 7, 2011, 5:11 pm

    I have always loved hummus but have been on a major hummus kick during pregnancy… especially over the last few weeks! We don’t have pets so sorry I have no helpful advice for you!

  • andrea December 7, 2011, 5:12 pm

    He will adjust. we kicked our dogs out of our room about six months ago. Our oldest dog (who had a lot of seperation issues) had been sleeping with us for almost three years. The first few night were hard he cried but eventually he got use to it. They snow sleep in the hallway outside of our room. Some days we have had to have them sleep downstairs and they actually did not wine at all. James just needs to get over change and then he will be fine.

  • Cristina December 7, 2011, 5:19 pm

    I read somewhere that dogs accept new situations quickly, and don’t perceive “fairness” the way that humans do. We have two dogs, and only one of them is allowed to sleep in bed (he sneaks up in the middle of the night). Occasionally I’ll lift the other dog up into the bed, but he can’t get up on his own, and generally doesn’t get to come onto the bed. He accepts it and moves on. Other than the bed thing, they are both equally spoiled and loved!

  • Alex @ Healthy Life Happy Wife December 7, 2011, 5:23 pm

    I have a suggestion – kind of an extension of the above post about crate training. My dog used to wake us up and move around so we just couldn’t have her in the bed with us anymore either. At first we tried to put her in a crate and she whined all night long. We felt so bad for her so we bought one of those pet gates that you can shape however you would like, put it in the corner in our room and put a dog bed in it. For the first night, she whined a little but now she loves it! We make sure to put the same toy (her pink monkey) in with her each night and give her a little treat when she goes in. She loves it so much that we have fallen asleep with her in our bed and woken up to her in her own bed with the gate door wide open! It might help that James will be able to see you and have his own space without it being too claustrophobic for him since it is open on the top. Also, once our dog got used to having her own area, we could take it with us when visiting family and she was still fine.

    But all dogs are different – so just a suggestion that has worked for us! & we sleep much better 🙂

  • Juli D. December 7, 2011, 5:26 pm

    You are not being mean to James. That’s just stupid. Dogs whine when they don’t get their own way. Just like kids. If you give in to every crococdile tear, you’re a bad parent. Discipline is real love because it teaches kids (and dogs) how to cope and prepares them for a world where they won’t always get what they want.

  • Leah December 7, 2011, 5:28 pm

    This made me laugh because I have a sneaky dog too. Our bed used to sit on the floor and Jack (the dog) has a bed in our room…and two other beds in the house, seriously – he is so spoiled. BUT, back to the point. He used to sneak into the bed in the middle of the night on my side because I am suuuuuper sound sleeper, so I would wake up burning hot from him being there and kick him out, or I would just move him because I was too tired to deal with it. When I got pregnant we got super strict about no longer allowing this so as soon as we would notice him in the bed we would immediately kick him out – this would happen 3-4 times a night, so it made for a tough few days of “Sleep training” the dog. But…after 3-4 nights he was happily sleeping in his bed in our room, and now he never even tries to get on the bed.

    Good luck…you are not mean! 🙂

    • Leah December 7, 2011, 5:43 pm

      @Leah: p.s. we sleep train our 11 week old baby too and she sleeps 12 hours at night and takes 3, 2+ hour naps a day…consistency is key!

  • Juli D. December 7, 2011, 5:28 pm

    BTW, as a teacher, nothing is more stupid than the fairness arguement. People (and dogs) are individuals and should be treated as such. We are not exactly equal. Some children have different needs or learn differently and that’s okay. It is unfair to treat everyone exactly the same, because then not everyone’s needs are being met.

    • Army Amy* December 7, 2011, 7:28 pm

      @Juli D.: Amen! To me, fairness is doing what’s best for each individual.*

  • Julie (A Case of the Runs) December 7, 2011, 5:32 pm

    My suggestion is that you start Maggie off your bed ASAP. If it will take her “months” to get used to being off, you’d better start… once the baby comes, it will be x100000 better if you don’t have ANY dog in your bed.

    Also, I don’t think having James in the room with baby at night. After working for hours to get the baby to sleep, you wouldn’t want James making some sort of noise and undoing your efforts, right?

    Just speaking from my experiences as a dog owner and auntie.

    • Terri December 8, 2011, 6:30 am

      @Julie (A Case of the Runs): I agree with getting Maggie out of bed, also. I think the sooner you get both of them off the bed, the better. And it’s kind of unfair to James if Maggie still gets to sleep with you if he can’t. We had issues with both of our 45 pounders sleeping on the bed … and taking up all the room. We kicked them off the bed & it only took a night or 2 before they realized it wasn’t nearly as bad as they initially thought. Not to mention, at least your dogs are still in the house. I know people who’ve gotten pregnant & the pets have been banished to the yard (or worse, the shelter).

  • Danielle December 7, 2011, 5:43 pm

    Wow! I know EXACTLY how you feel!! My husband and I went through the exact same thing this summer. We were totally sleep deprived because our two dogs, Maeby and Ollie, slept on our bed and we’d totally cater to them.
    In August we decided to crate them at night but thankfully after only a few days they it used to it and now run to their crates when it’s time for bed.
    In the log run your decision is the best one in my opinion because sleeping soundly is the most important!
    Stay strong!!

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen December 7, 2011, 5:43 pm

    I don’t think what you did is mean at all to James nor do I think you need to justify your reasoning. Do what you gotta do 🙂 I love my dog very much and she lives like a queen but that’s not to say we don’t have rules. One of them being no dogs on furniture, especially beds. She has her own and she does not sleep in our room for both noise and cleanliness reasons. I don’t think that’s mean at all! Dogs are dogs, not humans.

  • RunEatRepeat December 7, 2011, 5:48 pm

    My dog trainer said to NOT let dogs sleep in the bed with you as it’s a sign of being equals, which they’re not.

    • Andrea @ Run, Eat, Date, Sleep December 8, 2011, 10:31 am

      @RunEatRepeat: Exactly!

    • Laura December 8, 2011, 1:12 pm

      @RunEatRepeat: I call bullshit on this. Both our previous dog and our current dog sleep with us and trust me, she knows who is boss. Our current dog is very well trained and even lets my 2 year old niece boss her around. (My niece tells her “sit!” “come!” & our dog obeys). We love to have her sleep w/ us bc both me and my husband love to cuddle and have a full bed. But you have to be clear w/ your dog who is boss, this means teaching submission from the beginning while doing plenty of loving confidence building exercises. We are a pack, but she is at the very bottom of the pack. 🙂

  • Jen December 7, 2011, 5:48 pm

    I think it’s abundantly clear that you really love and care for your dogs Caitlin, and I don’t see how anyone could think otherwise. Obviously it’s a tough situation but I’m sure you’ll find a solution that works for you!

    I have a cat that I love to death but I don’t allow her to sleep in my bedroom because she jumps on things in the middle of the night and constantly wakes me up. Sometimes she’ll meow and scratch at the door when I go to bed but then she goes and sleeps happily in the living room. I’m sure James will adjust and everything will work out. 🙂

  • Delaney December 7, 2011, 5:49 pm

    I had the same problem with my two pugs. In the middle of the night they would both jump in bed with us. Causing us to have a horrible night sleep. So we decided to put the dog fence around our bed at night so they couldnt get by the bed. It only took 5 days,they now know they are not allowed on the bed unless they are invited up.

  • kristen December 7, 2011, 5:50 pm

    man. some people can be tough on your blog. Isn’t it your life and your decision? haha. Anyway. I hope your having a good trip and enjoying room service!

  • Theresa @ActiveEggplant December 7, 2011, 5:52 pm

    Oh geeze – people actually gave you crap about kicking James out of the bed? I feel bad for you for that – you don’t need to justify your decision to anyone at all & frankly, he’s a dog, his “opinion” doesn’t matter.

    I also have a Dachshund & we kicked her out of bed about 3 years ago after many MANY nights of poor sleep. For being little dogs they sure do take up a lot of space, so I can’t imagine what it’s like with James since he’s a little bigger! I felt SO bad at first, but then I realized that she doesn’t really “remember” being in our bed anymore. After the first week she didn’t whine anymore. She knows that her bed is next to ours & as soon as we go to sleep she hops into her bed & burrows into her blanket. It’s better for her, and for us.

    Besides, like Ceasar Milan says, dogs “live in the now” – so as long as you’re treating him right (which you obviously do) the fact that he sleeps in a bed in another room isn’t going to be a problem. The simple fact that you are giving him a BED – a human bed – is enough proof that clearly you care about James!

  • Lee December 7, 2011, 5:53 pm

    I don’t have any helpful advice but my 60 lb dog won’t get out of my bed. He always hogs my side too.

  • Kelly December 7, 2011, 5:53 pm

    First of all, tons of dog and baby/kid advice is the same. Do you want Dog Whisperer, I swear some of that stuff can be applied to kids lol. Don’t feel bad at all about James- you did the right thing and like you said he is going to get over it quickly.

  • Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries December 7, 2011, 5:57 pm

    Don’t feel bad about James, I think you did the right thing. My husband and I decided to not allow our two labs to sleep in our bed after we got married. He had them before we were married and let them sleep with them. We decided it’d be best for our marriage if we didn’t allow them in bed with us. We got them their own dog bed, and taught them that it’s a good place to be. It took some time, but now they LOVE their bed.

  • Mandy December 7, 2011, 5:57 pm

    You are doing the right thing with James and kudos for recognizing the problem early and being proactive. He’ll be fine, and everyone will be better off. Shame on those that shamed you, alpha.

  • Joey December 7, 2011, 6:25 pm

    Aww, I didn’t doubt that you love him! I am pretty obsessed with my pups, though, and always think how different things that I do make them feel. In reality, it probably affects us more than our pups. It is very obvious that James & Maggie are both part of your family, not just pets to you! 🙂

  • Jenny (Alimentable) December 7, 2011, 6:30 pm

    So we had the same problem with my pup, Oscar. We accidentally figured out how to get him off the bed. We slept with an old comforter for a about a month while waiting for a new one to arrive. While making the bed, I threw the old comforter on the floor and left it there overnight. Oscar curled up in the comforter and has been sleeping there ever since (about 2 years ago).

  • Erica December 7, 2011, 6:33 pm

    I apologize for not reading the other comments so I don’t know if this is repetitive or not. I think you are doing a good thing! Our dog (a lab mix) used to sleep in our room on a bed and keep us up all night. Now we put her bed in the den. It took her about a week to adjust. Every night she comes into our room to lay on the floor until we fall asleep or decide to turn the lights off and then we tell her to go to her room. She does! I think labs are easier to train for this kind of thing because they tend to like having a bed or homebase that they can go to. Does James have a doggie bed in the house that he likes to be on throughout the day? If you put it in the room in which you want him to sleep, maybe he’d go there naturally.

  • Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon December 7, 2011, 6:44 pm

    Hehe I always bring overly ripe bananas to class and feel a bit guilty!

  • CheezyK December 7, 2011, 6:45 pm

    These points may have already been raised but I’ve only had time to scan the comments not read them so please forgive me if it’s repetitive –
    1. if you don’t want James on the bed you need to kick him off as soon as you notice he’s there no matter what, it’s the being on the bed that’s the problem not the jumping up and he will learn. Consistency is the key, if he gets away with the sneak up sometimes and not others then he’ll keep trying (and believe me if he’s sneaking up then he knows the difference between being up there because you don’t know he’s there and being up there because you’ve decided to let him stay).
    2. if you want James to eventually sleep in with BabyHTP then I would recommend moving him into the nursery with his bed asap. If he gets kicked out of either your room or the guest room when BabyHTP arrives he may see BabyHTP as the reason he’s been displaced. I’m sure you can see why that might be a problem.
    Hope that all made sense …

  • Charity December 7, 2011, 6:48 pm

    ugg dog sleepin in the bed.. We have a 14 year old beagle who use to sleep in the dog bed by herself, then my fiance was working midnights one month and I let her sleep with me.
    Well after that she would randomly jump on the bed to sleep, either before one of us got in bed or after we were asleep.
    Being as she is 14 we ocassionally would let her sleep in bed with us if it was a chilly night or she looked to cute to put in her own bed. Now there is NO WAY to get her out of the bed lol. She’ll start off in her bed but shortly after get up on ours. She is usually a really good sleeper though and will sleep til about 10 am.

  • Ally December 7, 2011, 6:49 pm

    Have you thought about a big crate in your room (I mentioned the dog bed in the previous post, but since you said he’ll likely jump on in the middle of the night, this was my next thought)? I especially like the ones that are very open and airy (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Life-Stages-Double-Door-Folding/dp/B0002AT3M4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323301589&sr=8-1 )

    You could make it super cozy and comfortable with pillows, blankets, and maybe an old t-shirt that smells like you.
    That way, James will be able to see you and the fam, and know that you are close, without feeling like he is being punished / banished into another room. Many people have talked about the pack mentality, and it’s 100% true. By separating him from the rest of the pack, he’s going to feel pretty sad, and probably not get over it quickly!

  • Laura December 7, 2011, 6:52 pm

    Anyone making you feel bad is crazy. I love dogs as much as anyone, but there is NOTHING wrong with having a dog sleep somewhere different. Our lab sleeps in a crate and he loves it. When he gets tired at night he goes in on his own.

    Critical people – its not like she said she was putting him on a chain in the backyard all night.

    Caitlin – I am positive your transition will be great after a few days. CheezyK and some others do have good points about the consistency. Don’t know if this was mentioned yet but I would think about all behaviors you want and start working on them now. Like..is he prone to climbing on the couch or on you on the couch. I could see trying to sit down with a baby being difficult in those circumstances.

    I think its great yall are working on this now!

  • Ali December 7, 2011, 6:55 pm

    Oh please, you are totally doing the right thing. lol, your dog is gonna be fine. We did the same thing when I got pregnant the first time and our boxer adjusted right away. I mean come on, you are planning ahead for a child…how can anyone question that?? You are a mama in the making already. Good job!

  • Kristen December 7, 2011, 7:00 pm

    I normally don’t comment on blogs, but this post drew me in 🙂 I have to say that, unfortunately, this is probably just the beginning of the parenting judginess that you will see. It seems as though people will have opinions about every single thing you do with your new baby, no matter what the situation. I think it’s just human nature. Just remember to do what YOU think is right and stick to it!! You are getting in some great practice. Parenting is FULL of hard decisions.

    Oh, and as far as treating the dogs differently, that applies to babies too!! What one kid needs would be absolutely the wrong thing for another. So, while I certainly try to keep the attention as even as possible; the expectations, assistance and “coddling” that each require is vastly different. Keep treating them as individuals 🙂

    You are doing great!!

  • Bekah December 7, 2011, 7:03 pm

    I love dogs, but I totally think that you’re doing the right thing! 🙂

  • Jen at luckandfunny December 7, 2011, 7:10 pm

    James is fine. Dogs do not have human emotions. I love my dogs like crazy, but if mama is uncomfortable, things change! They adapt to new circumstances, and they don’t even get mad about it 🙂

  • Stephanie C December 7, 2011, 7:15 pm

    I mentioned this in the last post, but I recommend a dog bed. We have our dog’s bed (Snoozer’s Cozy Cave – a must for burrowers) on an ottoman right next to our bed so she feels like she is sleeping with us.
    It took us a long LONG time to get her to finally be in a bed that wasn’t ours (she is 6 1/2 !!!), but we used treats and her favorite toy (her squeak ball) as a way to get her to stay in there. For some miraculous reason.. this all worked and it worked SO fast for her.. after about 2 days.. she ONLY wanted to be in there! We’re pretty happy, but kicking ourselves for not getting the bed when we first saw it.
    Good luck!!

  • Katie December 7, 2011, 7:17 pm

    Don’t stress! There isn’t a bigger, more empathetic animal lover than me, but I definitely think you’re doing the right thing. Of course James is going to be fussy initially, but he’ll be fine – your sleep is important! No one who reads your blog could doubt how much you love those puppies. We all know you’re a great fur mommy 🙂

  • Nichole December 7, 2011, 7:26 pm

    I’ll be attending the Women’s Conference tomorrow as my employer is a major sponsor. I’ll have to check out your session.

    Nichole

  • Christine @ BookishlyB December 7, 2011, 7:36 pm

    Life is not fair; it’s not like James is being locked outside to freeze. Sometimes I walk one dog and not the other; I just snuck one of my dogs a bite of my snack while the other was supposedly out of the room. Everyone will survive- they’re dogs.

    Are you guys going to let your baby in the bed?

  • Ali December 7, 2011, 7:41 pm

    We kicked our dogs out of bed as soon as we decided to get pregnant. I never felt rested and attributed it to my pug moving around all night. I never realized I was waking up so many times. We bought a super comfy dog bed and put it in the corner of our room. The other dog slept like a rock, so I wasn’t worried about him, but knew we needed to move both to make it stick.

    We brought treats to the bedroom and used the command bed and pointed them to their bed. When they obeyed, they got a treat. As soon as they would jump on the bed, we would immediately say no, push them off and say bed.

    We had one restless nice of them pacing around the room, but they figured it out pretty quickly. I immediately was more rested and it was the best thing we ever did once the baby arrived. I wasn’t waking them up when I got up to feed her and the whole situation was better for everyone. Good Luck!

  • Kelley December 7, 2011, 7:47 pm

    I’m no dog expert either but I had an issue with a big dog in a bed only big enough for two people so.. I brought in a chair that the dog likes to my room and now she refuses to sleep in the bed with me. Maybe that will work?

  • Jessica December 7, 2011, 7:58 pm

    Dog in bed vs dog not in bed= tough situation to be in. For the first year we had Lucy she was crate trained, so every night she slept in her crate in a seperate room. At the time worked perfectly, and I still think this is the best method. If you think about it, having dogs in bed is quite unsanitary with all the germs, dander, and hair they bring into your sheets! Regardless, our dog sleeps in our bed EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. And although I don’t agree that this is the best or healthiest I can’t find the heart to kick her out. 🙁

  • Elisa December 7, 2011, 8:11 pm

    I totally get what your going through! We have 2 dogs and our older dogs is just like Maggie but our younger dog is a James, if we let him sleep with us he would just wake us up just because he loves us, and wants a kiss ect. As cute as that is we all need our sleep! One thing that works for us is to give the younger dog “cuddle” time in bed. He stays in our bed with us until right before we fall asleep, and then we move him to his super special bed. He actually knows what cuddle time is now, and jumps in the bed if you say cuddle time.

  • Meg @ Runridelove December 7, 2011, 8:21 pm

    I’m very interested in this, since we are currently going through the same problem in our house! We have one pup, who sleeps like a rock in her dogbed in the closet (she LOVES her dog cave) and we recently got a second dog, who paces and snores like a pig. Seriously. I have no idea how a small dog makes so much noise. we are trying to teach him to settle at night. Its only been a few weeks, but it seems like we might need to find a new solution. So i’d love to hear how this goes with James!

  • Lora December 7, 2011, 8:33 pm

    We use long leashes (leads), attach the leashes to our dresser legs, and hook up our dogs to the leashes so they can move around near their dog beds, but can’t jump in our bed at night.

    They’re near us, and happy, and we’re happy that they’re not jumping in and out of our bed, and waking us up.

  • BroccoliHut December 7, 2011, 8:39 pm

    My Margot has recently developed a similar habit–I started out only allowing her to sleep in her dog bed…but inevitably I’d wake up with a dog face staring at me in my bed.
    Sigh.

  • Ali December 7, 2011, 8:46 pm

    I totally get the dog in the bed thing. My dog was also great in the bed when he was a puppy. Buuuut, as soon as he hit 2 years old, he started getting up repeatedly during the night. We have hardwood floors, so it’s really noisy when he gets up. Plus, he can’t jump onto the bed, so he comes to the side of the bed and whines until we pick him up and put him onto the bed. It was totally crazy-making! The transition to having him sleep in the kitchen took about a month…he whined for the first couple of weeks, but now he walks into the kitchen and puts himself to bed on his pillow by himself when he’s tired at night! Don’t feel guilty – you’re saving your sanity! You’ll need all the sleep you can get when the baby comes.

  • Janice December 7, 2011, 8:46 pm

    I think you can apply the same consistent and insistent behavior requests with James to keep him off your bed and on the doggie bed in your bedroom as you are doing with getting him to sleep outside the room. You just have to be patient with yourselves as well as James.
    I also believe you’ll end up with behavior problems if he sleeps outside the family group than if he sleeps in the same room with you — even if on the floor. Maggie will be happier too. And so will you, I bet. James seems smart he’ll get it quick.
    Good luck!

  • Nikki December 7, 2011, 9:02 pm

    I think the best advice anyone can give you is not care what everyone on your blog tells you about it. You should do what’s best for your family. These are obviously incredibly well taken care of animals, and you don’t have to justify not letting one or the other or both sleep in the bed.

    With that being said – whatever you do, make sure you apply principles of positive reinforcement! It does wonders to exclusively feed animals in their intended places. Feeding an animal exclusively where you want them to sleep makes it a “happy” reinforced place for them. We have a crate trained cat who will ONLY sleep in his crate and puts himself to bed.

  • Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn December 7, 2011, 9:02 pm

    Don’t worry I BELIEVE YOU. 😉 I’m just catching up on your posts and g-frandddd you look gorgeous! Pregnancy suits you well.

  • AmandaRunsNY December 7, 2011, 9:25 pm

    Oh man, I hope you didn’t think that I was saying that you shouldn’t kick him out. That’s like me telling you you should let your 5 year sleep in bed with you when he has a nightmare. All I was saying is tough love is hard, and I feel for you.

    • Caitlin December 7, 2011, 9:50 pm

      @AmandaRunsNY: I understand 🙂

  • Alex December 7, 2011, 10:08 pm

    Do what’s best for you. I don’t think making your dog sleep in another room is mean at all. We had to kick our dogs out of the bed for the same reason. They still love us and we still love them.

  • Lindsay December 7, 2011, 10:31 pm

    I wish i had tips for you. When i adopted my pup i made her sleep in a dog bed the first night and never looked back. It was hard but i knew it would be best in the long run. What i will say is i think you are doing the right thing. Just like with children its important for pets to have rules. And your pups are clearly loved and well taken care of. ..its not like you are tying him up outside in the cold!!

  • Amber @ Bold, Busy, Blessed December 7, 2011, 10:56 pm

    I guess this would be the negative side of being so open on your blog! I think you’re doing the right thing and so many doggies would love to be spoiled by you 🙂

  • Heather December 7, 2011, 10:56 pm

    We just went through this when we gotgot married and my husband wanted a Newlywed Only bed. I was traumatized at the thought of being mean to the pups. And trust me, no one has more spoiled, anxiety ridden dogs than me! It was a rough few nights of kicking them out (they did jump in during the night while we slept, but we simply woke up and kicked them out). Eventually they got it…and have 2 dog beds next to our beds. Everyone lived and I do admit to better sleep!

  • Sandy December 7, 2011, 10:58 pm

    My dog used to be my child (before I actually had one.) He used to sleep with me, take naps with me, I would actually wake up when I was pregnant and go find him wherever he was in the house because I knew that as soon as the baby was born I would feel differently about him. And I did. One night, in preparation for baby sleeping with us, we put him out of our room and shut the door. He never cried, he just roamed around the house and fell asleep. We also stopped letting him on the furniture since we didnt want dog hair on baby blankets etc. Whenever he got up, we would just tell him “down!” He got used to it. He is a great dog, and we still love him, but we have two children and we love them more. I remember walking out the door to the hospital to have my baby, and looking back at the dog with sadness, knowing I would never feel the same about him again…and I dont. But that doesnt mean that he is no longer a part of our family. He is here, and we love him (great with our kids, never bites or jumps on them) but he is not one of our kids. Good luck. (10:1 says you put Maggie out of your bed when Baby HTP comes, too. Maybe she and james can shack up?)

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats December 7, 2011, 11:06 pm

    That would be so cute if James slept in the baby’s room! He’s like the big brother!!

  • Brooke December 7, 2011, 11:25 pm

    I think the issue here is trying to apply humanbuy behavior modification techniques to dogs, who are pack animals. I’m ok if you want the dogs out of your room, but its a little cruel to separate just one from the pack. I have no doubt you love your dogs, so please consider working towards having him sleep in a bed in your room. Apply your same consistency logic to this.

  • Reenie December 8, 2011, 12:09 am

    First I’ll say …..I know you and The Husband love your kids =) Will Maggie sleep with James in the other room? (I’m sure that’s been mentioned before ~ but can’t remember)

  • nickee December 8, 2011, 12:41 am

    Oh you lovely thing – don’t worry – you’re not being mean to James. I know it’s probably hard to hear his soft whimpering at night (and you’re so awesome for staying strong through that) but he will get used to it. Like you and some others have said… dogs dont perceive fairness like Humans. He will get over it!!! and Dogs are Dogs!!! they need boundaries too. I dont let mine sleep in my bed with me…because that’s how I’ve always wanted it. That’s not to say that people that do are bad. Different things work for different people. So you’re doing right by figuring out what works for your family 🙂

  • Khushboo December 8, 2011, 1:04 am

    You love your dog??? I’m going to have to call your bluff ;)! *end sarcasm*

  • Liz December 8, 2011, 1:14 am

    You gave a great explanation for why you need to get James (& not Maggie) out of your bed/bedroom…but you definitely don’t owe us an explanation on that! Your dogs are obviously treated very well (just because he’s not in the room with you doesn’t mean you don’t love him!) & not everything has to be ‘fair’. Maggie & James are definitely much different from each other! 🙂

  • Kate December 8, 2011, 1:29 am

    You clearly love your furbabies, I think you’re doing what will work for you!

    We have 2 dogs, a husky and a beagle-spaniel. Husky is “my” dog, beagle-spaniel is the hubby’s. We have two little boys now, too — 3 yrs and 3 mos. I trained the husky not to sleep on the bed because I didn’t want to deal with kicking her out when we started having kids. The beagle-spaniel was encouraged by me to leave the bed when we were pregnant with our first…she remained in bed. Encouraged again when we had our second…she is still in the bed. If I could get her out of the bed, I would be ecstatic, but since she only follows the rules that are put in motion by the husband, and he works nights, it’s never gonna happen! Basically, I’m saying that I’m jealous that both you and your husband are on the same page with your furbabies and where they should sleep. And I love the idea of having James watching over BabyHTP – that would make me feel like baby was so secure if my tiny little guy had a guard dog! Good luck 🙂

  • Lee December 8, 2011, 6:34 am

    Caitlin- you guys need a crate! I know it might seem overwhelming to crate train a dog once they are older but I guarantee even if you don’t think he will like it- he will learn to love it. Then you can put the crate in your room or in the guest room (baby’s room). It is actually great for dogs to be crate trained since it will make it so much easier when the baby comes if you want to put one of the dogs away- no problem! Toss some treats or peanut butter in there and he will walk right in! We have had a LOT of training with this with multiple dogs so feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any questions about it- there are many ways of starting it.

  • Katy @ HaveYouHurd December 8, 2011, 7:11 am

    Our Corgi, Wrigley, goes to bed with us and sleeps in our bed. She, like James, gets up in the middle of the night. When she does, we just open our bedroom door and let her out. She then roams the rest of the house (my husband is convinced she is out there ‘fighting crime’…we’re weird) and either sleeps on the couch in the living room, the couch in the office or in her cage in the guest room. When we have guests that sleep in the guest room and the office, they just shut their doors and Wrigley just roams the house. Can you just let James walk around the house by himself at night or is he not to be trusted?

  • Samantha December 8, 2011, 7:54 am

    Commented on the other post, but it would seem better to not allow either dog to sleep in your bed. Keep them together at night so they at least have that comfort.

  • M December 8, 2011, 8:37 am

    Its not mean, just a little hard at first. Have you looked into crate training? It is often confronting to owners but once the dog is used to it they often live their crate and choose to go in there as a “safe haven”. Thus way he can sleep with baby HTP without any fear of him disruptive!!

  • Katherine December 8, 2011, 8:59 am

    Do what you need to do is my advice. I am an animal behaviorist and there is nothing wrong with making James sleep in another room. You know him the best and if you say he is independent then he will eventually be fine. If it makes you feel better I have a masters in animal behavior and I’m still totally ruled by my dogs. My husband hates it, but I totally let our little black pug sleep in bed. On the other hand my husband is grateful that I do not allow our 120 pound mastiff mix in the bed. Again, if it makes you feel better I do not treat our dogs the same because they are different. The mastiff mix is simply to large to be allowed to do some things the pug can do. As long as you are consistent the dogs will understand and the beauty of dogs is they don’t hold grudges like people!

  • Sara December 8, 2011, 9:42 am

    I think it is very cute that James will sleep in the baby’s room! That makes perfect sense to me. I’ve always wondered if our two dogs–who are our constant companions, always by our sides–would sleep with us when we have children, or sleep in our child’s room? Interesting! I still want my dogs in my room so I can watch them. If they throw up, if they get sick, if they get up and get into something. No telling. Ours will start out on the floor too and then in the middle of the night, we realize they’re in bed with us. Then we tell them to get down, but they’ll get back in bed with us later. I let our dog (Buffy, who my blog is named after) sleep on top of me in the mornings because I want her to keep quiet. Her internal clock must be off and she wakes up before time to get up and so by sleeping by me, she’s fine. She’ll rest. I think you can train a dog to stay in their bed–but there may be a lot of restless nights because when you see they are in your bed, you have to put them back in theirs and maybe reward them with a treat to get them to stay? I’m not sure. This is hard!

  • Gretchen @ Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen! December 8, 2011, 9:47 am

    Given that you have 100 other comments on this post, I’m sure everything’s been covered. Plus, I have no advice because my two tiny schnauzers take up well over 50% of my queen sized bed and don’t see any ramifications for it… except for the occasional times that I accidentally kick Harry out of bed when I roll over. I do promise it’s an accident though!

    There’s nothing “cruel” about kicking your dog out of your bedroom. It’s just personal preference. And if I was married and had to share my bed with a HUMAN as well as my dogs, well… I’d probably still end up with them in bed. But I’d resent it a lot more. 😛

  • Annie December 8, 2011, 10:21 am

    Oh goodness, you aren’t being mean to your dog. People are silly. We have two dogs and neither sleep in our bed. When you have the baby, you don’t need to be missing moments of sleep because of a dog.

  • Rebecca December 8, 2011, 10:37 am

    We kicked our dog out of our bed when we decided to try to get pregnant. We placed a dog bed next to my husband’s side of the bed. She, too, would sneak into the bed but as soon as we realized it we just made her get back in “her” bed. It took lots of patience, but it finally worked! Luckily, we had her broken of sleeping in our bed the same week I found out I was pregnant. Our sleep quality improved dramatically! (But sometimes I still miss cuddling with her in our bed).

  • Malorie December 8, 2011, 11:34 am

    I think you guys are doing the right thing. I’m thinking about doing it also because I’m pregnant too and my dog sleeps pretty well but will randomly jump out of bed during the night, shake and then jump back in bed and have to get back under the covers and wake me up. But I love having him in the bed most of the time so I’m not sure yet… I guess I can see how it works for you first 🙂 If the guest room doesn’t end up working out then maybe try putting a crate in your room so he can’t sneak into bed with you. I’m sure you and the husband know better than anyone else what will work for you guys so don’t let people make you feel bad!

  • Paige (Running Around Normal) December 8, 2011, 12:36 pm

    LOL @ someone commenting that you don’t love your dog!
    Anyway, what we do with Niko is put her crate as close to my side of the bed as possible (on the floor) stuff it with blankets, and put her in there. She got used to it and actually likes to go in there now 🙂

  • Amy @loveAmyx December 8, 2011, 12:51 pm

    I’m on my phone so apologies for not reading all comments and risking repetition but here are my two thoughts.

    1) based on research into the prevention of SIDs it’s advised (at least in UK) that baby sleeps in the same room as mum and/or dad for the first 6 months. Hearing your breathing helps them regulate theirs and so reducing the SIDs risk. Other factors such as special mattresses (Tomy sleepcurve), room temperature, not using bumpers, foot to the base of Moses basket/crib/cot, using special sleeping bags instead of blankets etc should also be considered obviously.

    2) everything I have read about pets and baby’s has clearly advised against allowing pets to be around your baby unsupervised. Taking into considering his James Bond jumping ability and how much he disturbs you both I’m surprised by the suggestion of him sharing babyHTPs room. It’s all personal and I’m truly respectful that you may make different choices to me. But as much as I love our two cats, we’ve raised them from kittens, they have no behavioural issues and I trust they wouldn’t harm babyH I personally don’t want to take the risk and so are being very clear in setting rules about when they are and aren’t allow access to our room/the nursery, providing attention on our terms etc to prepare them.

    3) {cheeky as I said two thoughts} re: disciplining after event etc I agree about things like trash. But if you wake and he’s on the bed I would get up and replace him on his bed without saying anything. Think about how supernanny deals with children getting into their parents bed. Eventually he should associate the bed as being an out of bounds area.

  • jenny December 8, 2011, 2:02 pm

    We never let our dog (5 1/2 yr old german shepherd) sleep in our bed to begin with. We were advised of this because we are the ‘alphas’ in our pack and should literally and figuratively be higher up in the heirarchy in our family. I realize it’s a little late for this in your situation; however, dogs (like people!) are highly adaptive. Just because you don’t allow your kids to sleep with you when they’re in high school doesn’t mean you don’t love them or neglect them 🙂

  • ErikaMC December 8, 2011, 2:27 pm

    My only suggestion when it comes to the dogs in bed – kick them both out! I’m guessing in a month or so you will want to anyways. We slept with our two dogs every night for years – until I was pregnant. About half way through my pregnancy I could not stand sleeping with them in the bed! It was too hot, too crowded and I woke up all the time when they would move around. I’m never going to sleep with them again!

  • Amber K December 8, 2011, 2:36 pm

    Some people are so weird. I wouldn’t ever doubt the love you have for your pets. It’s obvious how much you care about them. I always learn a lot from reading your comments section too! You’ve got some smart readers.

  • Emelie December 8, 2011, 7:42 pm

    Kudos on sticking with your sleeping plan! It is hard to follow through on these things. Have you considered a crate in the bedroom for James? It took several tries to get the right set up for our dog (after several sleepless nights of indignant whining and barking!). We got him a pet carrier (plastic top and bottom so more enclosed) that was very small (hard to believe he could turn around in it, but he can) and then I took a dog bed-roll (a lightly cushioned blanket), created a cylinder with it and put it in the crate to create a padded on all sides little den. He LOVED it. Things were great for about a year until *somehow* he ended up back in bed again!! Not smart. 🙂 I don’t recommend this approach! But we did get both our dogs to love their crates, albeit using very different approaches for each. I’m sure you’ll figure out what works for James too.

    • Emelie December 8, 2011, 8:33 pm

      @Emelie: Sorry Caitlin – just ready your comment re: crate anxiety. Too bad!

  • 'Dee @ 'Dee's Garret December 8, 2011, 10:10 pm

    Sorry, you’ve officially lost me. Your dog has no idea why he’s banished. This is not discipline to him, this is suddenly he is no longer a member of your pack.

    You can crate train him slowly or teach him to sleep on a dog bed in your room instead of your bed. Get some info on training your dog. There are lots of alternatives and you have lots of time. At 13 weeks pregnant, you have plenty of time for him to figure out his new (apparently lowest rung) position in what used to be his pack pecking order.

    Your dogs are high maintenance because this is how you have taught them to be. That’s not me being mean, it’s just true. With caring and patience, you can teach them new behaviors without banishment.

    But that’s more trouble than kicking them out I guess. I don’t doubt you love your dog, but you have better options that this and you don’t even sound willing to try.

    So great, another dog owner who suddenly gets “religion” about dogs because now they’ll have a REAL baby in their lives, etc. and NOW it’s time to “discipline” the dogs.

    Sorry. Used to enjoy the blog and wish you the best, but with this, I’m done.

    • Susan December 9, 2011, 1:30 pm

      Geez, it’s not like Caitlin is giving James away or taking him to the pound! I think that from reading the blog readers can see that Caitlin and her husband truly love and care for animals, especially for their pups. You need to calm down and go smoke a joint or do some yoga. That’s not me being mean, it’s just true.

      • 'Dee @ 'Dee's Garret December 9, 2011, 9:10 pm

        @Susan:
        Now that was a fun email notice — getting a comment reply that said “smoke a joint”? Nice.

        I was perfectly respectful in my comment and said “I don’t doubt you love your dog.” And offered my opinion — and opinions have been invited by Caitlin, the blog author, on this topic, by her blog readers, which previously included me for quite some time.

        Good luck on the blog and in life Caitlin.

        And you stay classy, Susan.

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