Sharing The Bed With Your Pets- Okay or Nay?

To me, there is nothing better than time spent on a good snuggle session... And who better to do it with than a furry little friend!

Speak to any pet owner and you'll find that many enjoy sharing their bed with their pets often, if not every night. My mom has a chihuahua named Chilo who has been sleeping with her since he was baby. He started out his first night in our home laying in his own doggie pen but cried so much my mom couldn't bare it any longer. She picked him up and brought him to her bed. As soon as that little chihuahua's head hit that comfy mattress, he was out! And he never saw that pen again...

These days many domestic animals, dogs especially, are treated more like human family members than they are pets. And they receive privileges unfamiliar to most ordinary animals: eating at the table, laying on the couch, sitting shotgun in the car, and sleeping in bed. But how much is too much? And are you risking your health for the sake of your pet's comfort?

According to an article in USA Today, it's reported that 79 percent of pet owners allow their pets to share the bed with family members. And while physicians warn that this common habit may cause your own health to be at risk to infectious diseases, both physicians and veterinarians agree that there is still insufficient evidence to hold up that claim as absolute. In fact I've never once caught anything from sharing my bed with Chilo... and that's way more than what I can say about my human siblings!

However, once the pet's behavior changes for the worse or its presence in bed begins to hinder your relationship with the human spouse you also share the bed with, then maybe it's time to rethink your current sleeping arrangements... and I don't mean kicking your husband/wife out of bed!

But if those two are not issues and the worse that can happen is maybe coughing up a hair ball, then relax and enjoy the company!

Source: USA Today

DO YOU SHARE YOUR BED WITH YOUR PETS?