As I get older, doctor after doctor tells me the importance of sleeping and resting. I’m not good at either. I’ve never slept well at night (my new sleep apnea mask is helping), and I have an awful time trying to nap.
When I get tired (Covid inspired me about the need to rest), I sit in a comfortable chair in the living room, turn on some music and close my eyes. It is restful and comforting, but I rarely sleep; my mind is always racing.
Six or seven months ago, I felt a light pressure on one of my feet and fell asleep. It was a gentle pressure but a comforting one somehow. I was surprised. I slept!
It took me a day or so to figure out that Zinnia had taken to put her head on one of my shoes when I sat down to rest.
I’ve never had a dog do that to me, although I’m sure other people have, and I had some confusion coming to terms with what I see now was obviously happening – she is helping me to rest.
Zinnia and I are in synch when loving dogs bond with people who love them. They may not even know what we are thinking, but they always and instantly know what we are feeling and what emotions are going throughout the body.
But still, I’ve been studying dogs for many years; I wonder how this could happen, how a dog lying on my foot could help me do what a lifetime of therapy (and once upon a time, medicine) couldn’t do.
I think it’s her love and devotion to me that I sense and that calms and grounds me to the point where I can really rest. That’s the best I can do. In our lifetime, dogs’ work is the emotional lives of their humans. That is what they do.
Zinnia is a wonderful therapy dog; she has the instinct, breeding, and disposition for love and service. Smiles follow her wherever she goes. There is a spirit in her that settles, calms, and comforts me. And now, helps me to sleep.
I believe she knows just what she is doing, even if she experiences the impulse differently than a human might.
I see now – I have no science to back this up – that Zinnia senses my restlessness and seeks to calm it. I always get the sense from her that she is trying to get me to slow down and calm down. That is what she does.
She is trying – and succeeding – to help me sleep. I took this photo of her lying on my foot this afternoon when I came home Covid-tired. And the next thing I knew, I woke up 20 minutes later. Her head was still there.
When I opened my eyes, she moved.
Zinnia is such a sweetheart. I love reading about her, animals are a special part of our lives. ❤️
She is all sweet, for sure…those eyes..
Have you ever tried a weighted blanket? It’s surprising how helpful they are in helping some restless people sleep well and deeply.
I am happy for you. Zinnia is a great dog. Labs, as the most popular dog breed of the 15 or 20 years, very quite a bit. Labs have been the most used breed in guide dog work and as assistance dogs. They are very popular as retrievers too.
This gives you an idea of many uses for the breed as well as how they vary in what they can do. You would not want a Lab who was bred to retrieve game to be an assistance work. They would be far too active. Zinnia is a great companion dog.
Dogs are the best medicine for everything, aren’t they?
It is a relief to know I’m not alone having constant sleep issues. Its frustrating that I seldom can tough out the night and I try relaxing methods, or give in to sleep meds and then worry about that. You have a gifted girl. My two are not gifted in that way. One is sweet but aloof and independent. The other is laid back, moves in slow motion, and tries to adapt to whatever you ask, not easy for a blind dog. I’m working on appreciating their qualities tho lacking in sleep assist.