I've always heard that dogs have a 7th sense about pregnancy. I mean, they can't have a 6th sense about it- that's taken up by being able to tell how we feel, lol. Which is, by the way, completely true. Ever notice your dog get a little more cuddly when you are depressed? Ever notice him constantly nudging your hand for pets when you're mad? (Or perhaps hiding in the other room when you're mad? hehe)
Apollo started his life in this house sleeping in "his room" AKA the laundry room. My laundry room is huge and has a linoleum floor, which cold weather dogs just love, since carpet can get too hot for them. And I'm talking about true cold weather dogs- Saints, Huskies, Malamutes, Newfoundlands.
Even when Scott and I slept in the second living room, before giving it to the boys, and we started letting him roam free at night, he would usually pick the small linoleum spot right in front of the front door to sleep. Very rarely did he sleep in our bedroom. I think the only time I remember him sleeping in there with us was the first night I didn't shut him in the laundry room for bed. He happily wagged his tail, following me into the bedroom. Hubby was at work on overnights, and I was feeling a little anxious, so the company was welcome. I slipped into my PJ's and climbed into bed. And the mammoth lug jumped up and laid down next to me! It really startled me, and I pet him for a second, then made him get down. He's never tried to get up there again, thank goodness. Either his previous owners allowed him to do this, or he could sense my anxiety and wanted to be close to me.
Mind you, Saints are NOT guard dogs. They are not watch dogs. They, in no way, shape, or form, protect your house or your belongings. In fact they rarely bark. Apollo only does when he wants to, or is playing- tug of war, wrestling, or fetch usually. Otherwise, you never hear that dog. About the only intimidating thing he's got going for him is his mass. Which is usually enough when you don't know him or anything about his breed. (Hey, it worked on the pizza guy. I thought that poor kid was gonna fall off my porch backward when Apollo came up behind me!! LOL Unfortunately, Apollo was more interested in the pizza- not the guy.)
This is not to say Saints are not protective. Luckily, I've yet to have to put it to the test, but, I have read that it is in the Saint's nature to be extremely protective of its family. A Saint will lead a burglar to the vault, tail wagging, drool hanging the whole way. However, if it feels one of its family members are threatened, it becomes aggressive towards the attacker. They are also rescue dogs, but that's not really pertinent to this story.
I suppose it's for those reasons that he's never shown interest in sleeping in my room. That 'protective' guard dog instinct just isn't there. And he's always been pretty happy just laying around, doing his own thing. Just feed him, let him out to potty and play, and love him, and he's satisfied.
Well, he WAS anyway.
Until about 3-4 months ago. Probably shortly after I started really feeling pregnant. I know it's related to the pregnancy, I just can't remember a landmark in the timeline of when he started acting differently. Just after I found out, we moved our bedroom into the little side bedroom to get the boys into the big room and give them more space. Now the big room holds 2 bunk beds, school stuff, dressers, and toy boxes... and there's plenty of room to move around still. And hubby and I have cramped our Queen size platform bed and dresser set into this little room, leaving only about 1 1/2 feet of space to walk around the bed. I'm used to it... what do I need all that space for anyway? My bedroom is a place for me to sleep, get dressed, and have sex. I don't need a huge area- we're just not that creative LOL.
I don't recall noticing it at first, but at some point, after we'd been sleeping in there for a time, Apollo started coming in there with us to go to bed. He sleeps on the floor, of course, originally it was by my side of the bed, but he realized that he had quite the problem turning himself around once he'd gotten himself wedged between the bed and the wall. Then he moved to the foot of the bed. Now, most often, he sleeps on daddy's side of the bed- which happens to be the door side. So we pretty much step on him, trying to step over him, when we get out of bed. He doesn't seem to mind. He just lays there wagging his tail til I get out the door. Then gets up to follow me. However, if daddy is the one to get up, Apollo will follow him out the door, and if he doesn't get let out or fed within an acceptable amount of time, he will come back in and lay back down while I finish sleeping.
I think it's cute how he sleeps in our room. And hubby doesn't seem to mind either. So it's a win-win.
But it's not just the sudden want to sleep within feet of me. Lately, either it's gotten worse, or I am just noticing it more, I can not MOVE without him being within feet of me. I mean, I walked in our bedroom last night, grabbed something, and turned around and walked right back out. Apollo did the exact same thing. He knows he's not allowed in the bathroom (which probably threw him off when I welcomed him in there for a shower the other day hehehe) and here lately he will try to come in there with me. I tell him to leave, so he lays down right in the doorway. He's still on the carpet, but I sure can't get the door to shut without shoving him. I seriously can not walk from one end of the house to the other without him hot on my heels. Which tends to get particularly annoying when I'm in "cleaning" mode and I'm quickly moving from living room to laundry room to kitchen to other rooms. If he was a little dog he'd probably get tangled in my feet and get kicked a few times. Instead, he's a giant dog and just gets in the way, slowing my progress. Especially if he winds up in front of me- he hates that. He wants to be behind me, following me. But occasionally, like when I'm bringing a basket of clean clothes out of the laundry room and shooing him out from the doorway, he'll get stuck in front of me, so he either walks really slow, constantly turning his head to make sure he knows exactly where I'm at, or he'll just plain stop and try to get me to go around him- which usually results in him getting nudged in the butt cause there's no room to go around.
He's also found he's got a really nice place to lay directly in front of the couch. Again, it used to be he would lay next to the couch in front of the door, or across the room in the doorway of the laundry room while we sat down for TV time. Not anymore. Now I can not get up off the couch without stepping over him. And there's no space between him and the couch, oh no. He pretty much puts his butt on the couch edge and lets it slide down til it hits the floor. And that's where he lays. And we have a fairly small couch- especially considering how large our family is. It's a 3 cushion sofa, with the third cushion having a chaise sticking out. So 2 people can sit normally, and the third has their feet propped up. This backward L shape is like the perfect little cubby for him. I find myself, as I get farther along, and more painful and awkward to move, putting my foot down and pushing him with that foot, and telling him "Move, Apollo, let mommy up!" so that he'll move and I don't have to climb over him. You see the "Move, Apollo" used to work. But he's getting where he wants to listen less, and do what he wants to do more. So the simple act of telling him what to do isn't always enough anymore. Instead of him getting up and moving, like he should and use to do, I get his head lifted up and turned to face me, with this look of "really? Do I HAVE to?". So the foot shoving was added to give him a little more understanding that YES, I mean get the heck out of my way, ya 2 ton paper weight!!
I love the big furball to death. I just wish, sometimes, his 7th sense would ease up a little bit. I try to reassure him that 'mommy's OK' but he doesn't understand. Something about that 7th sense is telling him he needs to be right next to me 24/7 just in case.
There he is, in his spot in front of the couch, with his head on daddy's foot.
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