When your dog is on a bed-scratching mission
Your dog may be too territorial for a recycled dog bed
There was a guy I dated a couple of years ago who wore a very distinctive cologne. Others may have paid it no mind, but I spent several years writing for then-popular Examiner.com’s Chicago Fragrance Examiner column. I love candles, incense, perfumes and colognes. A sense of humor and a good fragrance entices me the way the average woman is attracted to men in suits. I could plan on wearing nothing but a sports bra and yoga pants, sitting on my couch blowing a whole day on Netflix. There is still 100% chance I’m wearing perfume. But back to him.
I could always smell the cologne (and a mild scent of cigarettes) on Ex #1 when he walked in my door. Even when he wasn’t in my condo, I could smell his cologne on my sheets. It was comforting.
It kinda reminded me of my first legitimate boyfriend (Ex #2). He would sit on his porch and smoke Black & Mild cigars. The fragrance on these two guys was more distinct than anybody else I’ve ever dated. I always affiliate that cologne and that cigar with these two. Considering the Black & Mild guy is someone I still think fondly of, the smell of those cigars is still pleasant to me. However, the cologne from Ex #1 is one I can do without.
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
I thought about that recently while watching a dog go through an exhausting process of scratching away at a dog bed. Keep in mind that there was nothing wrong with this dog bed. But by the time this dog had scratched, pawed, twirled in circles and flopped every which-a-way to get comfortable on this dog bed, he finally gave up and flopped onto the cold, wooden floor. I felt the exact same way about my sheets and comforter smelling like Ex #1 after we’d parted ways. (I was way too young for Ex #2 to be anywhere near my bed, plus my parents would’ve never gone for that.)
What is it with dogs and scratching human and dog beds?
The reasons for dogs and bed scratching are fairly simple and largely have to do with their ancestors: wolves. Their ancestors would move leaves and dirt around outside to create their own form of a “bed.” In addition to being a protective shield to predators, this was also a way to manipulate hot soil and grass to get to the cooler areas underneath. (Think of your level of comfort from resting on a cold pillow.)