Do you sleep with your pet?

Dog settling down on a human's bed? Have a sniffed your dog's blankets lately? Do you want your human bed to smell like that?
I once worked with a woman who bred large very hairy dogs. I hated sitting side by side at my desk with her because she smelled so "doggy." It was revolting because her dogs had no household boundaries.
Our dog sleeps downstairs on her own bed or, as a treat, especially if I'm home alone, sometimes on the landing on her own blanket. Her bedding is regularly washed.

Our dog sleeps on a rug on the floor next to my side of the bed, but moves to her dog cushion on the landing after about 30 mins. She would love to get on our bed, but, soft as I am, I draw the line at that.

@Nonogran I guess it depends on the dog. My dog's bedding is regularly washed and she is regularly bathed because she is a white dog. She is very clean, for a dog.

TBH some humans can be smelly too ?

Always shared our bed. I grew up with many dogs, one of which was an Irish Wolfhound who insisted on getting on my bed when I was a small child. Quite the sight.

We had 5 dogs a few years ago. So my husband, me, a lurcher and 4 Jack Russells would squeeze in. Sometimes a small child would pop in as well.

We just have the one JR now. She starts off on the bed but then migrates to her own bed on the floor by the window.

I'm pretty sure we don't smell. We do wash the bedding regularly!

But I've had the misfortune of working side by side with a woman with the smelliest feet.

If you want to share your bed with your cat then go for it!

Companion animals are for keeping you company. Why keep a dog if not for cuddling?

When they weren’t being used for racing or hunting rabbits whippets were used as hot water bottles for the children of the household. They just don’t understand the words ‘not allowed on the bed’.

I have one cat who sleeps on top of my bed. I put a throw over the duvet and it is washed regularly when I change the bed. She sleeps by the side of me or if I disturb her turning over she often sleeps on my hip for a bit before getting back down onto the middle of the bed.

She is a house cat and goes out onto the flat balcony but not into the street ( I live on a flat so she can’t ) She is clean , brushed and she has as flea treatment every month ( no fleas) I live on my own so she is very comforting and affectionate ( I am definitely her human , she tolerates visiting family but she loves me)

I come home from work sometimes and she is under the duvet in the middle of the bed and she looks like a mole hill . So funny but she never does it at night when I am in the bed

I haven't had a cat cuddle for years, now.
I had a few wriggly kitten cuddles with my daughters kitten, but I love the relaxing feeling of cuddling a contented dollop of a cat.

No longer have any pets, but would not have had them in the bedroom, and definitely not in the bed.

Our Cairn sleeps in our room but in his basket, or the floor. He absolutely hates being separated from us and times like tonight with fireworks it is essential that we are close by.

He is free to jump onto the bed, but never does. We seem to irritate him if we move??

Oh and he smells as sweet as a nut. Bedding gets washed weekly and he has a nice bath.

I'm catching up with Gransnet. That spaniel is catching up with her sleep, snuggled right up close. My dogs sleep downstairs at night but come up for a morning cuddle. I've always lived with dogs and can't remember one who smelled. Their beds are washed weekly, the long haired dogs have been to the groomer 8 weekly and brushed/combed daily. If they get horribly muddy on walks, they get showered otherwise its a brush and comb through.
I Can't imagine life without a dog or three. There's a New Zealand Maori tradition of dogs sleeping with their humans. Bad winters are referred to as "three dog winters". I think we're living through a three dog period in our history.

We don’t have a dog any more, but our last used in theory to sleep on the floor beside our bed. In practice she’d often join us (on the duvet, not under it) at some point. Luckily the bed was big enough! We did start off with her in the kitchen as a pup, but that didn’t last long.

Our previous dog would stay on the carpet beside the bed, but the instant you woke up, he’d know, and jump up for a cuddle.

TBH, @geekesse, if I were over bothered about pet hair and bacteria, I don’t suppose I’ve ever have had a dog in the first place. AFAIK none of us has ever suffered the slightest ill effect.

My cat has one of those furry doughnut beds which I put on top of my own bed, and she waits for me to put it there before jumping in and snuggling down.

Cats are super clean, always grooming and washing themselves and obviously I keep her bedding and my own bedding frequently washed and clean.

There is nothing more relaxing than stroking her and drifting off to sleep with the sound of her purring. She has become my "therapy cat" during lockdown and I love waking up to her little furry face in the morning.

love the "three dog winter" Iam64

My little pooch 3 and a half, still sleeps in her crate every night. She never goes in there during the day, but once she has been out for her last wee, she runs into her crate and I cover her over with a blanket. It’s her den and she loves it.

My dog sleeps in the living room at night - usually amongst the cushions on the sofa. Mr R arranges them for her. I am an early riser so when I get up I put a throw on my side of the bed and after she has greeted me downstairs up she goes to join him.
I wash the throw - and the cushion covers - regularly.

Puzzler61 - I like your bedding

Kircubbin2000 - I have the same cushion covers - in grey and yellow - from M&S

geekesse

No way! Every pet I have ever had is banished to the kitchen at night, and they are never allowed in the bedroom, day or night.

I can’t imagine how people tolerate the smell, moulting or fleas in their bedroom, never mind the bacteria pets carry.

Blimey if anyone’s pets are in such a bad way I reckon they aren’t being cared for.

Dogs and humans have shared accommodation since forever. It is a good partnership.

Wow - geekesse, if your pets smell or have fleas etc that's down to you. My dogs live happy dog lives, out in all weathers, I've had four water retriever type dogs so long shaggy fur and undercoats. Always clean, never stinky and certainly never had fleas. Moulting yes, but daily brush n comb helps with that.
There's a lot of evidence that children who grow up with pets are healthier, less inclined to allergies. They also learn age appropriate behaviour around animals, always a good thing.

My dog sleeps beside my bed on his own bed. I love having him with me although when DH was alive the various dogs and cats who passed through our lives always slept in their own beds and not in our room. He liked animals but had his limits.

Now I’m on my own I do what I want!

Yes I share a bed with my two terriers, we share a sofa through
the day.

Not in the Biblical sense, no.

No pets in bedrooms (and not on the beds) was a general rule for us. I've never understood why people want to sleep with pets - but then each to their own!