4.19.2012

April 19, 2012

White Dog was sleeping as she does every night, back pressed tightly against my legs. YoYoMa snored softly at the foot of the bed. Quinn, Nuka and Puff were in the office. In fact every one was settled on the sleep express to dreamland.  Maybe because I am the momma I do not sleep soundly; I am awakened by the slightest sound of collar tags tingling or a different breathing pattern or sometimes just the spidey-sense that some one of the pups needs me after a bad dream.

Clearly around 3am I heard one of the White Dogs in the other room shake (jingling tags) then a throat cleared then a low growl. I was certain there was some kind of trouble when I heard a crash and shuffling. I was instantly awake, adrenaline pumping, issuing the command "LEAVE IT!" before my feet hit the floor. That is the one command that ALL of the White Dog Army knows is serious, especially when barked in my "don't mess with me" voice.

White Dog rolled over to match my speed barking an alarm and hurried outside to check for intruders. Steve stumbled to his feet, coming to consciousness as he rose. "What?" "I don't know," I said heading for the door, "sounds like the pups are fighting which is really strange. I have to make sure everything is good." He jumped over the bed and beat me to the door, "I'll check. Deal with Yo who is shaking here."

YoYoMa was indeed shaking, the tenseness and my tone of voice told him something bad was happening yet he sensed nothing. I held and stroked him as much to keep him out of whatever was happening in the other room as I did to calm him. White Dog came in and hopped back on the bed at the same time Steve came back from the office.

"Everybody is sound asleep," he reported. "I KNOW what I heard. I am going to go take a look myself," the protective momma dismissed. "Let me go and look around again, you are trembling." He was right, I was totally amped up at the thought of danger to one of the White Ones, my heart was pounding and I was wide awake.

He returned after a bit. "I sat and watched and Nuka and Puff are fast asleep. So is Quinn, no seizure happening but it is probably his collar you heard; you know how he constantly shifts to get comfortable...even in his sleep. I think the "growl" you heard was Puff snoring. You know she gets congested sometimes in the night and makes weird noises. And the crash was the doggie gate falling over from where I leaned it after we took it down once everyone got settled for the night." (We gate Quinn in the office at bedtime until he settles down or his manic pacing keeps him going outside and coming in. Once he lies down, we remove the gate).

Steve's explanation made perfect sense and everyone got back into sleep positions. But the adrenaline kept me on hyper alert enough that sleep was an impossibility. I felt the rigidness leave WD as she slumbered again, and I smiled in the dark imagining myself as my family's superhero champion keeping them safe through the night. I draped an arm across White Dog, snuggled against Steve's back and wrapped us all in my special powers cape.

13 comments:

Kari in Alaska said...

Nuka would look AMAZING in a Green Monster jacket :)

Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com

24 Paws of Love said...

You didn't tell me you were Superwoman?? BOL! Thank goodness for the dog mom's who always sleep with one ear and eye open. ;) So glad everyone was safe. Hope you finally got some rest.

Bailey Be Good! said...

Don't all mommies have those magic ears? I can't make a move without her knowing. Grrr

Woofs & hugs, <3

~Bailey (Yep, I'm a girl!)

Dachshund Nola said...

Momma senses indeed!
Dachshund Nola

Angel Ginger Jasper said...

But you knew something was amiss and always best to listen to mums intuition. Glad it turned out ok though.. Hugs GJ xx

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

The things that go bump in the night:) Mom hears stuff too, and she says it is always best to check to be sure nothing is amiss. Hope you managed to get a bit of more restful sleep.

Woos - Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning

Brian's Home Blog said...

There is so much comfort in knowing you are sleeping with your own personal super hero in the house!

Jacqueline said...

You are super to us and of course to your babies as well, lovely Sue=we think you are the best too!...I also loved yesterdays post=those water rescue dogs are amazing!...Of course, all animals are amazing!...Happy weekend, sweet friends...xoxo...J, Calle, Halle, Sukki

Suka said...

hey WDA,

Great story! But scary! My human is the same way - very alert when a strange noise enters her sleep. So furry happy that it turned out to be nothing, just regular sleeping night noises. It must be comforting for you pups to know that your mom is ready, willing, and able to rush to help if anything were to go wrong.

Stay safe and hope tonight you all get a very deep and sound happy sleep!

Suka

Jo's World said...

As a profoundly deaf person, once I am asleep, I don't wake up for anything. Stella wears the cape here and she does a good job of waking me if she hears something. Of course, if its Thunder, I just tell her to lay down by me, instead of her under the desk bed, and that usually settles her.

Cheers,
Jo, Super Stella and Zkhat

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Supermum to the rescue. Bet your cape is a dressing gown, covered in slobber and hair and smelling like the White Dog Army. (Well that's what our mum's gown is like, except it smells of us hehehe) Enjoy your weekend. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

Teddy Bear said...

We are so glad everything is ok. But we do know that Mommies always have magic powers.:)

Love,
Teddy Bear & Sierra

Bailey Be Good! said...

Happy weekend woofs & huggies! <3

~Bailey (Yep, I'm a girl!)