Cold and My Not so-Morning Dog

It is 9 degrees in Pittsburgh today. Although it's -40 in Minneapolis, so I shouldn't really complain. It was the kind of cold this morning that when you breathe in, your nose feels like it's icing over on the inside. The only possible reason to love weather like this is the snow. There is a beautiful blanket of several inches covering the ground as well as the trees, the cars, and the roads.

The only other possible reason to love this weather is the desire to cozy up under a warm blanket with a good movie or book and a steaming hot chocolate, or maybe even a steaming hot glass of wine. Thankfully, steam heat in my apartment keeps the place warm enough to make you feel like it's possibly spring or maybe fall outside.

On a morning like this one, it's nearly impossible to drag myself out of bed. Although I'm not fighting with the inevitable cold of getting out from under the covers, I am fighting with the thought of having to go outside at all. Much less go outside and ski downhill while Cooper pulls me behind him for his morning break.

In the summer, when I first got Cooper, it was easier to wake up, take him out for walk around the block and then take him out one more time before I left. As soon as it got cold, we eliminated the first walk and Cooper seemed more than ok with that. My dog, who used to not be allowed to sleep on my bed and had to be in front of me or on my feet or trailing me the whole time during my morning-get-ready-for-work routine, has now become the canine equivalent of me in the mornings.

I LOVE IT. He's lazy and tired and just wants to rest a little longer. He sleeps on my bed a few nights a week now and when I get up, he looks up, sometimes gets off the bed to stretch and follow me to the bathroom, but he mostly just stretches and then falls back asleep during my shower. He puts his head on the pillows at the end of my bed and lazily thumps his tail when I talk to him or pet him, but mostly, he just sleeps.

I hated having to lavish him with attention and trip over him in the mornings when I was getting ready. I'm not a morning person. I'm no good until at least 10am after a good cup of coffee. This subtle transition to no energy in the mornings was a much needed change in our lives. I start off my morning in a slightly better, less annoyed mood and he gets to lay on my comfy bed while I get ready.

For now, that's life with Coop.