Nobody Dared Move the Towels After Four Pups Fell Asleep on Them

The towels were meant for drying, but four blue merle Border Collie puppies have turned them into a nest. They are all asleep, heads resting on each other's backs and paws tucked under chins, so tightly curled that it is hard to tell where one puppy ends and the next begins. Each coat has its own pattern of silver and charcoal, like four slightly different maps of the same moon.

Sleeping in a heap is a very doggy thing to do. Littermates share body warmth and comfort, and puppies who are separated from a pile often whine until they find company or a warm substitute. A snug bed with a blanket that smells like home can help a new puppy settle in the first few nights. A ticking clock or a gentle hum of background noise helps some pups too.

Border Collie puppies grow quickly, and they go from tumbling sleepers to tireless adventurers in what seems like a blink. Their sleep is part of how they grow and learn, so letting them rest between play sessions pays off later. If you ever worry that your puppy is sleeping too much or too little, your vet is the best person to ask.

For now the only sound is the soft huff of small breaths. The towels are warm, the heap is perfect, and nobody is going anywhere until somebody else wiggles first.