Blondie and I are in our bedroom beds. HairyFace is sitting in bed reading. NiceLady is finishing up her end-of-day routine. Lulu is sitting in the master-bath watching Lady. Lady says, “Say good night to everyone, Lulu.” and Lulu trots out and sniffs at me, she walks around the bed and sniffs at Blondie. Blondie has a dog bed at the foot of the Peoples bed, but she often sleeps on the carpet next to Hairy’s side of the bed. Hairy says, “Good night Lulu.”

Lady asks, “Are you ready for bed now, Lulu?” hoping to direct Lulu to her crate.

Lulu’s eyes light up, “YES!” and she leaps up on the bed with Hairy. A dream come true!

Blondie bolts to her feet and stares at her wide-eyed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? That’s not allowed!”

Hairy sets Lulu back on the floor, “No, Lulu, that is not allowed.”

Deflated, Lulu trods behind Lady to the crate. She whines a little bit, but settles in after a while.

Since Lulu has learned to scratch at the back door or whine at the Peoples when she wants to go outside, the Peoples are thinking about letting her sleep in a snuggle bed in the bedroom with us pretty soon. I think that would make her happy. Not as happy as sleeping on the People bed, but it’s as close as she will get in this house. There are rules in my house, after all. To be a good dog you must follow the rules.

Maybe Lulu’s forever home will not have a no-dogs-on-the-bed rule. Then that dream can be realized.