Normally, new dogs sleep in their crates for six to eight months in our household, to make sure they are housebroken, crate-trained and calm. And to make sure we can sleep peacefully.

Maria and I cherish our time together, and we protect that, even when dogs are concerned.

Last night, we broke tradition.

Something important and quite lovely happened.

Zinnia was sitting next to me as I worked last night, and I had the sudden feeling she was ready to come upstairs. She’s only been upstairs once, and we still have Red’s bed next to our bed on my side.

Zinnia is always with me, except when torturing Bud. She even comes into the bathroom with me if she can. I’ve been wondering lately if she’s ready to come upstairs at night with us, even though she’s only been with us for four months.

Zinnia’s been sleeping in her crate downstairs. She never barks in the crate, except in the morning, when the other dogs are up and moving.

It was an intuition, really, I just felt she was ready. We have a strong connection, and like all of our lifetime dogs, we just seem able to communicate with one another.

I looked at her – it was bedtime – and just had this flash that she wanted to come upstairs, a feeling.

I said “let’s go upstairs,” and she just followed me up the stairs as if she did it every night (the stairs are steep, the struggled a bit with them). She came into the bedroom, looked around – But was in his crate upstairs, he has always slept there – and sat down.

Then she walked over to Red’s bed, just curled up and lay down in it and went to sleep. I get up a number of times during the night, she just raised her head and watched me but didn’t move. I didn’t say anything to her or ask her to do anything.

She just knew what to do. Zinnia is a curious dog, I don’t think she had any desire to get into bed or jump up, she went right to Red’s bed and curled up.

Maria and I talked for a while and watched a movie on my iPhone. Zinnia never moved.

She slept there all night, quietly and peacefully. She didn’t bother us or have any accidents. She slept exactly the way Red did, on my side, in sight of me but quiet and still.

As the sun came up, I got out of bed and said good morning, she came over wagging and gave me some licks on the leg, then the face. She came downstairs with us (we let Bud out of his crate) and she and Bud and Fate went outside into the back yard.

This had an emotional kick for me, she just seemed to know what to do.  It just seemed right to me, and I see it was something I wanted and needed.

Is she channeling Red? Is he giving her some guidance? I don’t know of course. Sometimes, it feels like it.

So she’s out of the crate now (except when we go out for a few hours) and will sleep next to me and Maria in Red’s bed in our bedroom. And I’m very glad about that.

It is just amazing how this dog has slipped into our lives and lives in sync with me.