Well; I have a new lap dog, yep. He isn't new to me; just my lap, Luke. He has decided that he quite enjoys sitting on my lap. When he was little he would always sit or lay on my lap; four feet facing the ceiling and as happy as a clam. But once he got to be a big boy that stopped; oh he would sit beside me and there isn't a dog that likes to snuggle more than this one but the lap, well that was for puppies. Not anymore.
Luke's favorite thing in life is the moment after dinner; when we all head down to the family room to either chat or watch television, he loves it. He spins in circles throwing his head in the air until everyone is settled. Then he either dives up on the couch or sits in front of the coffee table to watch t.v. Last week I was chilly; I was sitting in one of the large leather chairs and contemplated if there was enough room to haul Luke up there with me. I thought there was so I called him over. Being that he is a nervous guy about having things done to him I made it a quick and easy hoist and he was up and settled in. The fact that he is so tall and lanky I did not want to invite him to jump up on me, I could just imagine the stomping I'd get. I had him back up and then sort of manually backed him onto my lap, no fuss, no freaking out.
Once there I could literally see him thinking about the whole situation. I wasn't sure he was going to be okay with this; we were very snug in our chair. But before I knew it; he was asleep and I was warm and cozy. Now; Luke being Luke I knew that this might be a problem. He forms habits very quickly and he likes what he likes and he definitely enjoyed this lap dog thing; especially with Mom. Since that night he comes and asks me to be on my lap; sometimes I allow it, not always. It is very important that he ask and just as important that he understand that sometimes the answer is going to be no.
Tonight was a yes night; so I hoisted him onto my lap. His skinny butt fits nicely beside me in the chair; although his huge chest is a bit awkward to place but this evening he teetered it on my left knee. With one leg on each side of my left leg he was soon sleeping and dreaming away. I was very aware of his heartbeat as it was directly against my leg beating away. With his head curled over one shoulder like a bird he was a happy guy; and me? Oh ya, nice.