Pets & Nightmares

[Moonwolf 89]

I have a mixed breed rescue dog who I've had for almost a year. He sleeps with me all night every night and helps me realize that the dream isn't actually happening when I see him in my bed. After all, he wasn't around during my traumatic experiences. If I'm particularly distressed he will lick my face and hands then snuggle up as close as he can. I tried to train him to wake me up from nightmares but that has been slow going.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I have a new dog a japanese chin named Belle. She is 11 months old. She sleeps above my pillow. What a comfort she can be when she cuddles me.

We are still getting to know each other and bonding. But she makes me laugh, everything is a game to her.
She brings so much life into our home.

I have a very independent cat that only likes to be pet. She is not a cuddler. She was when she was a baby.

I feel blessed to have my animals. It gets better and better as time goes by.

Belle knows the name McDonalds when we go for a mocha frappe, it means she gets to go. She is happy to go with us and she is happy to come home. Great topic.

 

[HëllaBubz]

Maccas is a forbidden word at our house.....mainly because the bloody cats like cheeseburgers.

 

[HëllaBubz]

Well, I don't know if you guys have Arnotts Shapes, which are a savoury baked biscuit in different flavours.
Arnotts have recently started making a line of these biscuits called Roadies, and their salt and vinegar flavour is quite strong.

I wish I knew how to describe the look on the cats' faces when they licked some of the biscuits........ROFLMAO for a very long time.:roflmao:

Me thought their faces were going to invert!:D

Kitten actually came up and hid his face in the crook of my arm! I felt bad for laughing.....but still!:oops::laugh:

 

[Sammy]

I have a 10 month old GSD who is sometimes completely clueless. Typical for an adolescent GSD, I am told. But, he sleeps with me every night. When I fall asleep he is lying at the foot of the bed. When I wake in the morning after a night of nightmares, he is lying next to me with as much of his body against me as possible. His presence is amazingly calming and helps me realize it was a nightmare. If I don't have nightmares, he is usually still at the foot of the bed. That makes me think he knows what is happening and is trying to comfort me. We also spend about 5 minutes every morning, snuggling and him getting some good belly rubs. It is a great way to start the day, no matter how awful the night may have been. It helps me to move past the nightmares and not drag them into the day.

 

[HëllaBubz]

Yeah Sammy, my cats do the same thing.......morning not allowed to initiate until at least one cat has pressed their wet nose against mine, had a tummy rub, kneaded a highly sensitive part of my body (the inside of my arm is a fav), and knocked over at least one thing.

 

[kal]

That is the just cutest thing!

I believe animals can sense things on another level.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I have 2 mastiff/great danes. Nugget wakes me from nightmares and will sleep next to me after, Bella doesn't seem to care. Bella is very loving, and has great manners, she just isn't a PTSD dog. Nugget did this on her own, which is why I decided to have her be a service dog.

 

[SevenWolves]

When I first adopted my dog 4 years ago I was having bad nightmares (same one since well forever). The nightmares stopped after I got her. My therapist said it's because I feel safe with her and that's true. Problem is now the nightmares are coming back. She does watch over me when I sleep. Sometimes I roll over and she's just sitting there staring at me - like I'm some type of experiment...lol.

 

[Charmedone]

I have a black lab who is nearly 2 and is lovely. She sometimes starts making noises before I have a big flashback or disassociate and when I am having issues she sits with me or lays on me. When I'm having a very bad nightmare she wakes me up by pouncing on me lol or barking. Love her soooo much!