Life in the doghouse: Should we allow our pets in our beds?

First of all, there are some people who due to allergic reactions, including serious respiratory issues or any immune-compromise, who should not have a pet in the room overnight, never mind making a divot in the duvet. 

Multiple studies have shown pet ownership and sharing a bed can increase oxytocin, and regular feelings, and improve people’s overall physical and emotional health. For some of us, that cat, dog or domesticated rat puts real meaning into our lives. A study by the Mayo Clinic in the US revealed that for military veterans with PTSD service dogs questioned, 57% said their dog helped ease their nightmare problems.

I’m a tough old girl, and there’s a single rescue bitch twitching through its dream time between my husband and me. Her name is Pigglish, and yes, she’s as windy and winsome as a swine. Sleeping with Pigglish, for all her aromatic and temperamental issues, is one of life’s great and calming pleasures. With four-inch legs, she can still spring onto the bed, and any proffered basket is given a cursory glance. 

We’ve just renovated the master, and despite Pigglish’s chocolate-eyed entreaties, and loudly canon-balling the door, I’ve resisted her return (for now). Dogs sprawl, and I will admit, it’s been something of a relief to roll around the full acreage of the bed without a yelp.

Pets are not clean, and as human beings, our instinct is to self-soothe by touching them, even during the night. If you steam-cleaned the shih tzu twice a day, deep in their fur, the dander, shed, biological life cyclical tenancy of tiny creatures picked up on walks would continue. 

You can tie a bow in their hair, and teach them to talk with interactive talk-buttons, but don’t kid yourself. A friend of mine is happy to drop an antihistamine each night to keep her cuddle buddy on board.

Cleaning their bums

Aside from the symbiotic playground of fleas, lice, intestinal worms, ear mites, and the odd fungus, dogs clean their bums meticulously in long loving laps. After flavouring their tongues, lips and faces in their signature chemical-rich signature, they will move onto their paws, dampening the bedding as they do this essential work to keep their pelt in perfect order. 

Cats spread essential proteins over their fur during grooming. You might have noticed how puss cleans any spot you’ve touched after a cuddle. Your caresses have dinged their microbial armour.

We’re talking here about house-broken pets. Even if your chinchilla is a darling about using a sand tray, don’t tuck one under your chin by night. 

Some parents are convinced exposure to a diversity of bacteria and germ surfaces and play builds and even heightens a child’s immune system. Still, bedding your precious kid down alone with animals is something to think through. 

Co-sleeping with puppies is popular as they scream through those first couple of weeks of separation from their litter — but could find yourself in a sticky spot without a protective blankie. 

There’s a real danger of puppies, kittens and tiny dogs wriggling off the bed into €10,000 worth of micro-surgery to a broken leg.

As pack animals, dogs in particular understand status, and while your superior rank may appear to be understood, a communal sleeping spot may bring out aggression and ill-temper if your pooch is more an alpha than a beta boy. 

Many pets (terriers, you know who you are) are better placed in a basket of their own, which could of course be by the bed or in a corner of the bedroom. Designated places untroubled by others, signals peace, solitude, de-stressing and above all, personal space — just as your bed does for you.

Dogs and young children

I would be especially careful of gauging the behaviour of dogs with young children. I saw the full gnashers of an old greyhound of mine lightly graze my infant daughter’s face for simply sitting on “her” area of the sofa. 

A dog fight on the bed? Two dogs, even old ones will have their moments, and prone and undressed, you could be collateral damage. Dogs are not people, even if you count them as family. Watch out for “guarding” behaviour on the bed as you try to get in or growling when you change position. 

A child could roll or tug at a dog or cat in the night, causing them to panic and strike out. Ignore the frivolity of Instagram — no dog, cat or other pet has any place in a baby or toddler’s crib or bed. Things can go horribly wrong in a split second even with old beloved pets you think you know inside-out. 

Serious and even fatal incidents with dogs are often the result of owners and family members not being able to read an animal’s clear signs of stress or aggression. That’s not your children’s job.

If you do sleep in a tangle of people and pets, consider laundering your sheets every week rather than every fortnight as usually suggested, and ensure the machine is set for 60C to kill germs, parasites and most bacteria spread over the weave. 

Bathe the dog more regularly and use foam shampoo on the cat from time to time, wiping their paws after outdoor activity. Mats inside the front and back doors can reduce some foot-borne biological muck. 

Keep your animals’ vaccinations and parasite treatments up to date, by marking them on a calendar or putting an alert on your phone.