I was taking a nap yesterday afternoon — hadn’t slept well Saturday night — under just about perfect conditions. There was a light breeze coming in through the open window and the blinds were closed enough to keep the sun out of my eyes.
And then my dog Lally stepped on my head.
The one drawback of liking to sleep with the windows open and feel a breeze on my face is that my bed is directly under the windows. Lally’s favorite place to look out when there’s a weird noise out front is from my bed. (Her second favorite is from the couch, but I wasn’t napping on the couch… this time.)
Whatever was outside the apartment drove Lally into a frenzy of looking and barking and dancing around. Somehow — I was still sleep-muddled at the time — she managed to knock the glass of iced tea off my nightstand and send it flying over my head. Everything got soaked: the pillows, the wall, the sheets, me.
By then, I was awake for sure.
This isn’t the first time a dog has stepped on my head (or another body part) and roused me from a relatively sound sleep. This isn’t the first time one of the dogs has barked me awake, either. But it is the first (and hopefully the last) time Lally ever throws a glass of iced tea on me!
I was retelling this story — to the amusement of friends — and in return got to hear another, much more amazing wake-up story.
My friend’s little white poodle was relentlessly whining and nudging her. When my friend finally got out of bed, she found that her front porch was on fire! The dog’s persistence ensured that the family (and pets) made it out of the house safe and sound. Unfortunately, not all similar stories end so well.
And I have an amazing wake up story of my own: I was making an hour drive home one Sunday night. The road went through an area of no cell phone service, so I couldn’t chat with anyone to stay awake. My eyes started to close. I actually fell asleep at the wheel, but my dog Miko bonked me on the shoulder until I woke up. I truly believe he saved my life that night.