Last night Cochise had a bedtime dilemma.

Cochise and Blondie Bear are permanent residents. Tinker, Jasmine and Gator are foster dogs. We offer multiple dog beds but who sleeps on what can be kind of fluid during the day and evening. Everyone is okay with that.

In the living room are a pair of beds made from a donated futon pad. These are favored when Marie and I are in the living room or kitchen, and are big enough that they can be shared when necessary.

At bedtime, however, each dog has a definite preference.

Our most recent dog bed purchases were a pair of memory foam beds, but in different styles. This traditional style bed was favored by Cochise, so it goes next to the exterior wall, where he likes to sleep. In the summer the open windows are a favorite feature for him.

Blondie Bear likes a “lounger” style bed, so that one stays at the foot of our bed, which is her preferred sleeping location at night — unless it’s thundering: then she snugs up tight against my side of the bed so I can drape an arm over and scratch her head.

The two older snuggle beds move around as needed. In the day time both are found in the den so dogs may comfortably supervise my work. Tinker, with his thick fur coat, is fine with just the carpeting; when he’s not snoozing on the tile in the hallway, which is most of the time.

One of these beds comes into the bedroom at night so Tinker may sleep in there with us if he likes, but that’s usually futile. If he does sleep in the bedroom for a while, it’s on the carpet in the doorway. He likes having maximum visibility. He will sit on his bed to get his bedtime cookie, then moves off to wherever he chooses to spend the night. So it’s rare that he causes any bedtime dilemma for the others.

When he does sleep on a dog bed, he prefers Blondie’s bed. Not an issue during the day, but at bed time …

Bedtime dilemma solved through diplomacy (and cookies).