The Yard Chores Never Got Finished. Here's What Happened on the Porch Swing Instead.
The porch swing has gone still, its chains hanging quiet, and both of its passengers are fast asleep. Grandpa Ken leans back against the wooden slats, chin dipped, eyes closed, a pair of glasses hooked onto the front of his olive openwork sweater vest. Across his lap lies Mochi, a soft little heap of black and tan fur, her head resting on his arm, eyes squeezed shut in deep, contented sleep. Beyond the porch, a sunny yard full of potted succulents, a green watering can, a garden fence, and scattered tools suggests a morning of chores that has been happily abandoned.
Dogs dream, or at least they appear to. During deeper stages of sleep, many dogs twitch their paws, flick their ears, wag their tails, or even make little muffled barks and whimpers. Researchers believe dogs go through sleep cycles somewhat like ours, and that this activity is a normal part of resting. It is usually best to let a dreaming dog be rather than waking them suddenly, since a startled dog may react before fully waking. Small dogs often feel especially safe sleeping on or against their people, where it is warm and familiar. That closeness is comforting on both sides, as many people find that resting with a calm pet helps them unwind too.
Whatever Mochi is dreaming about, it is probably something wonderful. With the sun warm on the yard and Ken breathing slow and steady beneath her, there is no better place to drift away.
