HAVEN OF COMFORT

     During the past two years, I had to spend most of my time laying in
bed recovering from two very serious back surgeries.
     Our little Shih Tzu, Bandit, was completely puzzled as to why I never
got out of bed.  The Shih Tzus are very tiny dogs from China tipping the
scales at approximately thirteen pounds.  They usually have long hair
flowing down to the ground which is most always white in color with black
and or brown markings.  Their hair grows very long right down to the floor
giving them the appearance of being a dust mop.

    As you can probably tell from his name, Bandit has fluffy white hair
with a circle of black around each one of his eyes.
     Since I became ill, Bandit missed his playtime and long walks.  He
also missed his rides in the car as I would always take him with me to run
my daily errands around town.  He would hop up in the back window of the
car and sit staring at the people in the car behind us.  Bandit looked
exactly like one of those little artificial dogs you see in people's cars
where the little heads nod up and down from the motion of the car.  Many an
onlooker would take a second look not knowing whether to believe if Bandit
was a real dog or not.

     There was nothing left for our poor little Bandit to do but jump up on
the bed and curl into my side.  He would snuggle there for hours and hours
while I scratched behind his ears.  If I turned over, he turned over as
well.  We became extremely close during this long recovery period of mine.
     About a year and a half later, I am now fully recovered.  When I get
up each morning, Bandit and I go out for his first walk of the day.  Upon
returning, Bandit sits by the side of my already made bed not understanding
why we both aren't going back to lay down.  Many times during the day I
will find him sitting by the bedroom door as if to say, "Is it time to go
to bed yet?"

     Come evening after the kitchen is cleaned and I sit down to watch a
little TV, he won't give me a moment's peace.  He looks at me with those
big round eyes as if to say, "All right, now I really want to go to bed."
After such dedicated companionship during my recovery, I find I cannot help
but to give in to my faithful friend.
     Now, as the clock chimes 8:30 pm, I call out, "Okay, Bandit now it is
time to go to bed."  His tail starts to wag so hard, he appears to be
wiggling all over.  He takes off in a run towards the bedroom door where he
patiently awaits his master.
     Besides getting a good night's sleep every night, I am keeping my dear
little friend very happy in the spot he has learned to love.  He had
discovered over the past year and a half that my bed was a haven of comfort
for him where he was constantly cherished and showered with affection.

             -- Patti Jones

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