Many pet owners allow their pets to sleep in bed with them at night. Come on, you know it’s hard to turn down that begging face!
Is sleeping with your pets a good thing? A bad thing? Is it healthy? If you missed the article on this topic from the RV Pet Vet, Karel Carnohan, DVM, from a few years ago, read it here. In it, she explains the benefits and risks of sleeping with a pet.
For many people, the companionship and comfort of having a furry friend nearby helps them sleep more soundly. A warm ball of fluff curled up by your feet (or, let’s be honest, taking over half the bed) can be a source of emotional support and reduce nighttime anxiety.
ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK? Check out RVtravel.com’s group RVing With Dogs. More than 96,000 members.
Dogs, especially, may provide a sense of security, alerting owners to unusual sounds or movements. On the flip side, pets that shift positions frequently, snore, or decide 3 a.m. is the perfect time for a grooming session can interrupt your rest more than they help it.
Allergies are another consideration. Even if you’re not allergic to your pet, dander, pollen, and dust they bring into the bed can trigger symptoms. There’s also the issue of space—especially in an RV bed, which might already be more compact than what you’re used to at home. Still, many pet lovers willingly sacrifice legroom and sleep quality just to have their companions close.
If you let more than one pet sleep with you, please leave a comment after you vote and tell us how many. We’re curious. (Do you blame us?) Thanks!
MORE POLLS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- How many pets travel with you in your RV?
- Pet owners: If given the chance, would you clone your pet?
- Have you ever adopted a stray dog or cat?
- For dog owners: Would you pay 20% more for a fenced campsite where your dog could run free?
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Dawn dish soap (the original blue formula) does a great job cleaning dishes, silverware, and cookware. In addition to cleaning dishes, there are many unusual uses for Dawn detergent while you’re RVing, too. Discover all the ways to use Dawn dish soap (besides washing dishes) here.
RVDT2919
One cat visits during the night. Does not stay for entire night. She has her guard duties to secure the house.
Never, never would my husband let our mini schnauzer, Darlin’, sleep with us. Ha, guess who won. Darlin’ both won his heart BIG time but also a spot in our bed!!!!
We only have one dog and she starts at the end of the bed, by morning she is between us.
We have two cats that “let” us use their king size bed with them…..
The first night out, one of our cats will squeeze under the door and sleep with us for a while, but he wants the wife’s side of the bed and she in her sleep kicks him off and the rest of the trip, we are cat free at night. During the day, they both occupy the bed.
I sleep better without the dogs in bed but hubby likes them there. Hubby and dogs win.
Golden retriever gets on-bed time as we typically read before turning out the light. Self-taught that “End of the chapter” and closing a Kindle reader means it is time for him to go use his own bed. Two cats come and go, mostly based on room temp, and usually sleep at the foot.
No, never! Because we don’t have pets. My wife said that after raising 3 sons almost single-handedly (because I traveled for my job), she never again wanted to have care for any living thing. She did keep me, however, and we will celebrate our 60th in 2028!
Two beagles every night. There use to be three sprawled out over and under their own blanket. Ya wouldn’t have it any other way. Love my little hounds.
Maggie the Wonder Beagle was unable to get on the RV bed but at home she would snuggle between us.
Thank you for the question, RV Travel. Dog #3 sleeps on the floor of the sleeper sofa in the RV. At home he sleeps on the floor at the foot of our bed, or on the sofa in the “great room.” Dog #2’s dementia was so bad before his death that we did let him sleep with us in his last few months. Have a great day and safe travels!
Never! That’s gross to me!
Shoot, those who do probably have to buy flea collars in the hooman size.
Typically our dog in her kennel. She’s NOT a fan of thunderstorms & fireworks so on those nights, yes.
Our dogs are 65 & 75 lbs. In a queen bed, there’s just not enough room for the 4 of us. I answered “never”, but when I travel with the older dog to agility or rally trial he has been known to sneak up onto the bed and I’ve let him get away with it. At home our bed is quite high, which also keeps the dogs off the bed.
Absolutely never and never on a couch.
We used to. I was suffering with allergies, and my doctor asked me a series of questions. Do you have pets? Do you have carpet in your house and bedroom? Does your dog sleep in your bed? What do you expect me to be able to do?
Iris joins us on the bed while we are reading, and then, when we’re ready to turn off the lights we tell her, “It’s bedtime!” and she jumps off the bed and goes to her own bed (in our bedroom) to sleep. She’s done that since she was a puppy.
A Chihuahua and cat did several years ago but the Australian Shepherd I have now is a little too big to be a bedmate.
Our little Shih Tzu Mylo prefers his own bed…………unless it is storming. That’s when he prefers the safety of mom and dad’s bed.
At one point we would have 4 cats in bed with us. 3 were killed by poisoned rodents, so now it’s just down to 2. In the stix n brix we banish them to the rest of the house outside our bedroom. We have no way to lock them away from us in our 17 ft molded fiberglass trailer, so I’m hoping they’ll remember their manners and not wake us up.
2 small dogs…used to be 3 but one is too old now to climb the stairs to the bed (we have doggie stairs both at S&B and RV to the beds). They both sleep between us moving around as we shift position. The little boy really likes sleeping across the top of my pillow kinda wrapped around my head. I think he was a cat in a former life.
Do lot Lizards count as a part-time pet?
Just kidding, I know better…
We said No. Real answer is no more. When the 2 who did passed on we stopped the practice about 15 years ago.
No dog but 2 cats do spend time on bed
A better question is “how many pets have their own beds?” Mine have them but rarely sleep in them
Our dog starts out on the bed with us, then after about thirty minutes, she gets down on her bed, then about an hour before we wake up she gets back on our bed.
Our Brittany would jump up while we were getting ready for bed. As soon as we came in the room he would jump down and into his own bed on the floor.
If I went to bed first, he would scoot over to her side until she came in the room.
I really think my wife had him trained to warm up her side.
That’s a real big no! My dog (and cats) are strictly outside animals. I would not have an animal in my house.