[Dailydrool] Bassets and sofas

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

We prefer our bassets not help themselves to our sofa. It's hard on  
basset backs to get on and off furniture, and after having one basset  
with ruptured disks, we'd just as soon not have any more. We also  
don't care for the body oils and grime that basset bodies leave  
behind on the upholstery. But it *is* nice to sit on the sofa with a  
basset (or two or three) at night when we watch tv.

I've put a denim patchwork throw over the nice slipcover that's over  
the sofa that has upholstery I hate but Ken loves and I can't get him  
to give in and just get the sofa recovered with something that's a  
color you can actually match other colors to. It's a long-standing  
argument, and so far I'm nowhere near to winning it. I'm now waiting  
on that sofa to just die and then I'll campaign for a leather  
replacement.

Our Elsinore and young Charlie know they're not supposed to get on  
and off the sofa without our permission and help. Fortunately, they  
follow these house rules without a fight. They have four dog beds to  
choose from during those times when they haven't been invited up on  
the sofa.

Their friends Owen (a fellow basset) and Chloe are allowed on the  
sofa at their house all the time, so it's hard on them to adjust to  
our house rules when they come over here for extended slumber  
parties. Since blocking off the living room would require a very long  
puppy gate, I just cover the sofa with end tables while Owen and  
Chloe are here. It works well, and neither has tried to get on the  
sofa. It's a bit of a pain taking the furniture off the sofa when we  
want to sit on it, but it's just a temporary inconvenience. I think  
that if we had Owen and Chloe here for months on end, they would  
eventually get out of the habit of getting on the sofa whenever they  
want and we'd be able to take the end tables off.

Elizabeth