Story 62: Hot Dog - Cold Weather Chronicles

Laika was an eternal creature of comfort. She was the Blanket Monster. She was constantly on a quest for being cozy. As my residence was never really too warm in the winter (due to expensive heating bills), Laika loved to bury herself in blankets or lay close to the space heaters. At my parents' house, however, she was constantly spoiled. Here is how she spent pretty much every trip to my parents' house during Fall/Winter, especially around the holidays:

Laika, obviously, loved the fireplace. Each time we would arrive to visit my parents during cold weather, she would make a beeline for her favorite spot in front of the fire (after her initial inspection of the house, of course). If the gas was not ignited or her bed was not in place, she would simply secure her spot and wait patiently until one of us flipped the switch.

Even if her bed was there, Laika would sometimes lay outside of it to be closer to the hearth. On some occasions, she would even move it herself to reach the sweet-spot, immediately curling-up (or stretching out) and falling asleep in the warm glow of fire. Once in dreamland, waking her up or getting her to move away from the heat was nearly impossible. These were perfect times to give Laika a deep massage, due to her level of relaxation, but, as I learned early on, her body would be hot to the touch!

As a pup, Laika enjoyed the fireplace; as an older lady, she loved it even more. I suspect that the main reason for this was all of the missing fur on her back from the radiation treatments (which can be seen clearly in the second photo), combined with her naturally short hair. Laika usually dozed for hours, basking in the heat like a log, which at times was hot enough to be used for kindling! Just watching her was relaxing and calming to the rest of us.

While writing this, I am currently sitting on the floor at my parents' house and can still picture her laying happily in front of the hearth, snoring contentedly. It was her "spot" in the house for most of the year. Although, in warm weather and on sunny days, she had a slightly different sweet-spot...