The only time when there's NOT a cat on my bed is during wet-food-time...

Snuggling with my boys (cats) on a cold night makes me happy. I'll take my chances with the plague, because kicking the boys out of bed is (a) a futile exercise and (b) sad because no snuggles.

I have a cat and I have a "no cat in bed at night" rule. My cat is more than welcome to take a nap on my bed during the daytime, although she prefers just jumping on my bed in the morning for a cuddle, then sleeping under the bed. This works for me, because my cat gets used to the time I wake up and generally only meows around that time. Finally, for intimacy sakes it's a lot less awkward not having the cat in bed. =)

I love having my cats on the bed - they have their own little fleece blanket, so that helps if they have muddy paws. I love it when my alarm rings, and they're still sleepy, trying to cover their ears.

I sleep better with my Coton, Sophie, right next to me

It would be impossible to keep my cat - Dave - out of my bed. Especially in the morning when he wants to eat so badly he's *literally* pulling my hair with his teeth. My husband and I love having him in bed with us, it feels empty without him.

My big, fluffy, long-haired cat sleeps on the bed every night, and I'm so happy to have him there to cuddle with. I sleep on my side, so he usually sleeps behind my bent knees, but he also sometimes snuggles up against my back or shares my pillow with me. Flannel sheets + boyfriend on one side + fluffy cat on the other = wonderful.

No. And I don't encourage it b/c of fur and the fact that I have a white bed. My rescue dog was so relieved and happy to have a bed of his own at the foot of mine, he never tried to get up on it or any of the furniture. At least while I am home! I have to close him off from the bedroom and living room when I leave.

My mini schnauzer, Cora, sleeps in the bed with me. She doesn't like to be under the covers so she sleeps generally towards the foot of the bed. Even though a sleeping schnauzer doubles in weight and length when they sleep, she usually stays on her side of the bed until she deems it necessary for me to get up. Then, she's usually on top of me.

I used to live with a roommate and his chihuahua, Boo. Boo loved to be under the covers and he would sleep with me sometimes. I appreciated having a foot warmer on cold nights.

I had the same good intentions with my Lakeland Terrier. The compromise has him starting out the night on his own bed... yet somehow he is snuggled in by morning. He too, a cover-hog!

Yes when I'm alone, no when I'm not.

The Cat sleeps where the Cat wants. I don't really get a lot of say. (Fortunately we like her on the bed at night.)

The first few months my dog slept in his crate, but as soon as he was potty trained he earned bed privileges. He snuggles with us under the covers and knows EXACTLY what it means when I say "let's go to bed!".

When my now-husband and I moved in together, we had to institute a rule that both dogs and both humans couldn't be in the bed at the same time. With all four of us in the bed, only the big dog got any amount of good sleep. Aside from the good couch, the dogs pretty much are allowed wherever else they want to be. Most of the time that means the ratty couch in my home office in front of a big window, which they've claimed as their own.

No! I've got 2 miniature doxies who live to burrow and love to sleep with their humans, but no. I love an afternoon puppy nap, when we all snuggle in on the couch, but they sleep in their own beds at night. I don't sleep well with their licking, nudging, snoring, etc. And I like my bed to not smell like dog. And, yeah: the intimacy thing.

My dog can sleep on the bed, but when it's time to go to sleep I kick the two cats out. One of them likes to lick my face constantly, trying to put her tongue up my nose, which is possibly the most unnerving thing on earth.

When our bulldog was a puppy, she tried once or twice to jump on our very, very tall Queen sized bed -- hilarious. In order for her to get up there, either my husband or I would have to lift her up (hard for me to do with a 70lb dog), or buy doggy stairs. Nuh uh. Not only would she be a total bed hog, but my asthma/allergies would eventually kill me. I'm already slightly allergic to her, so something tells me it would End Badly. She has her separate doggy bed in the bedroom that gets washed twice a week to keep dander down.

We didn't make it through the first night with our rescue pooch. I love sleeping with her, but she's small and calm.

Our dog sleeps with us... luckily we have a king sized bed because it gets crowded with two adults, a dog, and the occassional toddler. We have a blanket at the end of the bed and she knows the command, "Lay on your blanket". There's a no dog above the knees rule while sleeping, but she crawls up for snuggles in the morning.
However, the bed covers do get dirty, hairy and smelly so I have an extra complete set of bedding (duvet and dog blanket included) and wash often.

Can't imagine our cats not being on our bed--the first night that our kitten slept with us, though, I did roll over and knock her off the bed. I felt so bad about it! She's all grown up now and sleeps under the covers with me most of the time, and I've learned to shift in my sleep without bothering her.

My dog used to sleep in his crate until he was potty trained. Then, when we stopped crating him at night, it seemed natural to have him in the bed. Well, that and he's so cute and cuddly at night! So now he sleeps with us every night, usually at the foot of the bed near my feet--since I don't move much. And if we're lucky, he'll come cuddle for a few minutes in the morning. Of course, it helps that he's only 15 pounds!

My two cats enjoy sleeping on our bed, though never when there is more than one person in it. They seem to understand that it is not the best place for sleeping as silly humans move around alot, so they just stay for a short while. The only option for keeping them out completely would be keeping the door closed.. They have their own nests all over the house so I don't see it as a problem really.

I want to let my puppy up on the bed but we've been told to teach her boundaries first. The wifey doesn't want it though. Her suggestion was a dedicated couch she was allowed up on, anyone know if that works?

When we adopted our dog, he was scared to be by himself. I set up his little bed room in our bed room but he could not stay in it . I put his in different room, then he cried all night. I tried it a couple weeks. Now, I gave up to train him and he got a peaceful sleep between me and my husband every night.
Actually, we love it!

A labrador retriever? I don't think so. My kids have their own beds, so why shouldn't my dog?

Although, maybe if I had a small dog......

I think keeping my cat off the bed would be a pretty futile exercise. The foot of the bed is one of his regular day-time lounging spots. Then when I go to bed, he moves up next to my husband's pillow, until my husband comes to bed - at that point there's a dude-kitteh staring contest. Eventually Sputnik will flounce off, to return in the (early) morning to tap my face and let me know it's breakfast time. Gently pushing him away is my equivalent of hitting the snooze button.

Our Boston Terrier didn't for the longest time, but my wife got a paper route, and would let her come in the bedroom when she got back from her route. My wife quit her paper route at the beginning of the year, but our BT still trots down the hallway and paws the bedroom door until we let her in at 5:00 every morning. She is insistent on sleeping under the covers at the foot of the bed.

It's almost impossible to have boundaries in New York apartments, my French Bulldog sleeps in my bed at night, his own bed during the day, and the sofa when I am home. What else would a companion animal do?

My Shiba/Chihuahua mix doesn't sleep on my bed with me, he sleeps on my armchair. In fact, he's not allowed on my bed at all. He knows this, so he only jumps up on it when he thinks I'll be out of the room for a long time. Then when I come back in he quickly hops off... or looks up at me sadly until I shoo him off.

He's generally a very clean little dog. I don't mind a little hair in my bed. But on principle I don't want him in my bed. So it's more of an annoyance than a real problem that he does it anyway.

This morning when my alarm went off, I had Billie Kitty on my pillow, Nushi Kitty on one side of me, and Missy Dog on the other side. My daughter will not tolerate animals on her bed, so they all pile up with me.

I do lots of laundry.

It's nice to have a pet-free bed now and then, and sometimes they (especially the cats!) find their own places to sleep, but I know that I will both outlive my pets, and miss them greatly when they're gone. Billie is 22, Nushi is in her early teens, and no amount of time with Missy would ever be enough...so, yeah, they can sleep on the bed if they want.

Yes, they're in the human bed, and now that it's cold my cat digs under the covers and snuggles up to me so we both get warm as we drift off to sleep. One cat used to hold my feet down, and growl if I moved them, and that actually prompted me to remain sleeping on my back (which was better for my health anyway). I keep a 1-size-up flat sheet over the top of the bed linens so that helps catch most of the shedding and I really don't mind changing the linens more frequently (especially if there's someone purring me to sleep at night). Long-term company? Well, they just have to understand.

My friend married a man who said 'no pets in the bed!', and she said too bad, when she went out of town he said 'your crazy cat keeps whacking my head when I try to sleep!' and she realized how unobservant he was... every time she put her head on the pillow to sleep, her cat who slept between her pillow and the headboard, would tuck its paw inside her hand as they nodded off. Once the husband tried it, both he and the cat went happily to sleep, and he was completely charmed forevermore.

My jack russell puppy started out with his own doggy bed, right beside our bed. He obediently laid down when my husband and I went to bed. After maybe 2 nights, we woke up in the morning with the puppy sleeping in our bed. He started creeping into bed with us after we fell asleep. Since this is my first dog, I wasn't sure how to break him of that habit w/o locking him out of the bedroom. So he started sleeping in our bed. He's full-grown now and 17 lbs. He only sleeps under the blankets in the winter. Our cat sometimes sleeps in the bed, depends on his mood. When he does, it's above the blankets and between my feet. I love having them, but my husband now wants to upgrade to a King-sized bed.

I dog & house-sat for someone who let the pup sleep in their bed. I was supposed to be able to use her bedroom but I just couldn't. There was tons of dog hair in the brand-new sheets and that skeeved me out so I slept on the couch all week.

We have two dogs and both sleep on the bed. I just feel safer, warmer and more content when they are there. In the summer months, they tend to jump down to the floor as I think the bed gets to warm for them.

All four of them, all the time.

My dogs Callie & Ari, and cats Pookie & Kitty have all been in the bed with us lately to ward off the winter temperatures (yes, we consider Seattle COLD). Mikio is the one that is usually off in the corner, but will visit for a couple minutes every once in a while.

With that being said, I only have 1 full set of sheets. I need to invest in more so I don't have an unprotected mattress and comforter while stuff is in the wash. Thank goodness for West Elm. ;-)

My two Jacks, Diego and Bella love to be on the bed with me but at different times of the day. Bella loves to burrow under the covers at night - that's fine, she's a mini-heater. Diego loves to sleep under the bed and patrol the house at night. In the morning when I awake, he rushes to me with hugs and kisses (he hugs by rolling his body over my legs). Life is so much sweeter with my furry pals!

My pup is a little too big to sleep with, so his bed time is in his crate. But he does hop up on the bed and couch pretty much any other time.

No way... The idea grosses me out. Pets are dirty, I don't care if they spend all day licking themselves clean-- do I really want to rub my face on a fur-covered pillow? I'm happy to share my bed with my husband (and, temporarily, my newborn twins who sleep in in-bed bassinets); I don't need someone else taking up space, wiggling around at night waking me up, sticking his claws into my back, and covering our sheets with enough fur that you can never really get it out completely. Enough of my house is already covered in dog hair!

Our dog has a multitude of beds around our house, and one in our bedroom right beside the radiator, so he never wants for a cozy place to sleep. He's well trained, so he knows not to jump up on the bed.

That's why, as awesome as many I've known have been, I could never live with a cat. Cats think they're more in charge of your living space than you are, and you just can't keep them off counters, tables and beds.

Having dogs in the bed to cuddle keep us warm is one of the greatest pleasures in life and I feel sad for people who are too anal or "skeeved out" to enjoy this... We've got two medium sized rescue dogs, a sometimes toddler and a queen size bed and we all do just fine!

So glad I'm not the only one. We had the best intentions as well - when we first got dog #1 we put his dog bed right next to ours. However, he cried and cried, so eventualy, we gave in. Our tiny full-size bed is now pretty tight with my husband and I plus both of our now two dogs... but we both kind of like it, most of the time. :)

I tried to keep my little Shih Tzu/Poodle off the bed in the beginning, but he is an anxious one so any loud noise would send him to my bedside. I eventually gave in and now it is not unusual to find his head on the pillow next to mine. I like it though, even though this is a big no-no for me as I am allergic (ha!). During the day, he has no problem sleeping on his bed, but his favorite place may be the sofa.

Our rescue dog loves to sleep in the bed with us, but we had to put a firm "no dogs in bed" rule after he became too protective/dominant over it. With some dogs, they need to know that beds are for humans, and the crate is all theirs. His behavior is much better now that he knows some things are off limits to him.

These days its only on special occasions that I let the dogs up in bed with me. Like after a vet visit, on bath day, or if hes hurt and recovering over something and needs extra love and attention. In the past though when it was a more regular occurrence I kept an extra thin blanket over my bed to act as a barrier between dirty paws and my "real" bedding.

I spent soo long getting my kids to sleep in their own beds, there was no way I was going to let the dog, now four, take over. Luckily, said pooch, the invincible Lulu, a rescue, has the legs of a dachshund and the body of some larger breed. She is not built for jumping and has never been encouraged to do so. She is banned from both the bed and furniture. . . although she has been known to sneak onto the living room chairs when left alone. She has two comfy beds: one in the living room and one in the bedroom, her boudoir station, as it is known, and that is where she sleeps. Amen.

I let the dog on the bed when I'm home alone. My significant other often travels for work. When we're both home, however, I try to make sure the dog sleeps in his crate. The inconsistency is hard though - in the middle of the night sometimes the dog will paw at his crate to get out. He knows I'm weak and will let him out if he's annoying enough. He likes his crate during the day as a place to hang out, but he knows the best place to cuddle up on a cold winter's night.
As for smelly beds, I use Febreeze during the week, and just wash bedding regularly - no more than usual. I also always wipe the dog's paws when we come inside, so he doesn't track dirt around the house.

Our shed machine? No way!

our cats sleep at the foot of the bed. it's not intrusive and doesn't cause a bad hair problem. the 85 lb dog, on the other hand, sleeps in his own bed on the floor.

I sleep with my cats. I keep the duvet pulled up over all the bed during the day and have a fleece blanket over that for them to lounge on. During the night, my girl usually ends up curled against me under the blankets in her spot, so I just make it a point to lint roller that spot once a day and I wash the sheets once a week. They're usually pretty good about been still and letting me sit, but I have been known to kick them out of the bedroom if they decide to have a wrestling match during the day.

If my cats went outside, they would NOT be allowed to sleep with me.

Can't keep our big Maine coon-mix cat away in cold weather. On a chair, the sofa, the bed--he's cuddled next to one of us, between us, or on a lap. If we closed the bedroom door, he'd scratch and cry for access; he's the most demonstrably affectionate feline we've ever lived with. My only regret: Had to abandon a white duvet cover (the cat's black). In warm months, he's less inclined to sleep with us and I can get away with a light-colored coverlet. At others' houses, though, I've had trouble sleeping in dog fur-covered guest spaces. Guess that makes me a confirmed cat lady. :)

Hey, it's our fault, we bred them to be companion animals. My two Chihuahuas sleep under the covers with me; it's their goal in life. They permit my long-haired doxie mix to sleep at the foot of the bed. Works fine for me. I'm 61 and single. They never complain about my weight or how my hair looks. We don't fight over the remote. I'm willing to do a lot of laundry for such nonjudgemental companions, haha.

I have a rat terrier who wore me down with his little puppy whimpers, and has been sleeping on the bed since I got him 16 years ago, instead of in the crate I swore he'd sleep in. He's a bed hog, sheds constantly all over the clean linens, and paws at the top of the covers when it's cold so he can sleep under them. When he finally leaves this world, and I get my next pup, I will not cave---crate, not bed. I will happily trade the early morning cuddles for clean sheets, and the lack of a growling, immovable object in the center of the bed at night.

My previous pack of 3 greyhounds would jump on my bed within minutes of me getting in. I enjoyed having them around but only for weekend afternoon naps. I am a very light sleeper and for that reason, I don't have dogs in my bed overnight - I would be up 100x a night.
Also, I prefer to sleep in a really cold bedroom and they would not like that.

My current two - one is really shy and will stay in my bed only if I pick her up and CARRY her to my bed. The other one comes, hops on, but leaves after a few minutes.

Several of you keep mentioning pet hair. Luckily, schnauzers don't shed. I have a white duvet and keep a throw over it for the dog incase she has dirty feet. I've had no problems.

My girlfriend's dog, Wubbie (an obese miniature pincher) has two past times- sleeping and cuddling. If he can do them at once he's a happy boy. He loves sleeping under the covers and if he's by himself he'll snake his way into a complicated mess of covers himself. He cuddles in our arms at night and lays his head on my arm. I don't mind any fur he sheds! His love is worth it.

We had the same intentions--that our dog would sleep in his own bed. He's our first dog, though, and a real cuddler so I couldn't resist--he sleeps with us every night (he happens to be small & doesn't shed, so we're lucky in those respects).

I could never dream of keeping our cockapoo out of our bed. She is the best snuggler, and loves to sleep with us. She picks the weirdest spots... perched on my shoulder, or snuggled right between us, maybe even a little squished. The best is when she 'spoons'. Our sheets can get dirty... in the fall she was bringing a lot of tiny little burrs in on her fur and, of course, they ended up in our bed. Not so comfy! But I'll sacrifice clean and pretty bedsheets for the sleepy puppy grin in the morning!

I wash my Schnauzers paws with The Paw Wash when they come in from outside so no dirty paws in the house. One dog likes to get on the bed with me but the rescue girl prefers her crate, from having lived in one the first five years of her life. Amish puppy mill.( I dislike the Amish intensely and won't buy their products for that reason.) The dogs go to the vet and groomer regularly and are cleaner than a lot of humans I know. My two cats like to sleep with me occasionally too. My mother, on the other hand, would have had a heart attack if a dog or a cat tried to get on her bed, but then she nixed all pets, so that wasn't a problem. :)

Julie Anita - newborn twins? Congratulations and good luck! I'm a twin myself. I've heard the horror stories from my mom about how hard those first few months are...keep your chin up, soon they'll become a self-contained entertainment unit. :)

And you're right about the cats. Dogs have owners, cats have employees. I'm way more of a dog person, but I inherited and grew to love my two cats.

We don't even let the dog upstairs, let alone inside our bedroom or on our bed. She has a crate downstairs with an extra plush bed, and that's where she sleeps and stays when we go out for short trips (less than 4 hours). During the day, if we are both working, she goes to a puppy play group. If we're home, she's allowed to sit/sleep on her chair, but not any of the other furniture. We'll snuggle with her either on the carpeted floor or on her chair. She's a pit bull, and her breed is naturally very sweet and snuggly (face lickers!), but also known to bully when they want something and clear boundaries haven't been set. If we gave her an inch, she'd take a yard.

We don't even let the dog upstairs, let alone inside our bedroom or on our bed. She has a crate downstairs with an extra plush bed, and that's where she sleeps and stays when we go out for short trips (less than 4 hours). During the day, if we are both working, she goes to a puppy play group. If we're home, she's allowed to sit/sleep on her chair, but not any of the other furniture. We'll snuggle with her either on the carpeted floor or on her chair. She's a pit bull, and her breed is naturally very sweet and snuggly (face lickers!), but also known to bully when they want something and clear boundaries haven't been set. If we gave her an inch, she'd take a yard.

Sadly, my husband and I sleep with an 85 lb. German Shepherd and a 45 lb. mutt...in a queen size bed.

Both of my dogs sleep on my bed. The smaller one--about 45 pounds--cuddles up right against me and helps keep me warm. The larger one--105 pounds--starts the night at the foot of my bed but often will move to the hardwood floor, either because he feels crowded or he gets too hot. I love having them there. After we get up in the morning, the larger one will often go back to my bed and spread out in the middle.

The only downside is how often I have to wash all of the bedding, but that's a minor issue.

Depends. My bed is lofted pretty high and my dog has short legs. I like this because it's my discretion whether or not he's in there. I'd say 2-3 times a week I hoist his potato sack body into the bed to cuddle. It's not too bad. When he was able to get up on the bed all the time I kind of had a fit because he has quite the overbite and would drool everywhere, and the shedding, and the oily labrador coat would turn my sheets shiny. Otherwise he sleeps either in his dog beg or on the couch which I cover in a lovely tapstry like cover for easy washing.

I save on heating bills by allowing my 50-lb Lab mix (Lilac) to sleep with me. My nights wouldn't be the same without my cover hog.

When we had cats, yes, because cats sleep where they want and locking them out of the room only meant that we had to hear scratching and meowing until we let them in. Plus they are small and indoor cats can't get that dirty anyway.

But dogs? No, not in my bed. The 75 pound GSD sleeps crated and the 90 pound GSD sleeps with his boy, although the growing teen is leaving less room for the dog everyday ...

Our pooch, June, started out in her crate downstairs until she was behaved enough to sleep in our room. She just naturally hopped up on the bed and curled up at our feet, simple-as-you-please. She has very good sleep manners, although during cold snaps she tends to rotate and end up curled in between our torsos, where I suppose it's warmer than at our feet. The only thing I find annoying is the increased laundry, when she snores (but it's really cute) and when she launches off the bed in a frenzy when an early-morning dog walker comes by on Saturdays.

Downside is when friends dog-sit her, she's been known to hop up on their bed too, even if it is a no-dog-on-bed household. They usually just put down Red Blanket (her fav) and she will go there instead.

Our cats have seasonal shifts for sleeping with us. Seriously, it's like they worked up some kind of agreement and every two months they switch. I am a sucker and I don't move them when they're in my way, either.

My Frenchie only sleeps in the bed in the winter time. I've had her for 6 years and my SO for 3, so she gets her way. Even before I moved in with my SO, the Frenchie only slept in the bed during the winter and under the bed in warm months. She's re-learned how to jump on the bed, so now I'm not so sure if this routine will stick. She's getting older and likes the comfy bed. Oh, well.

My cat (maine coon mix) slept with me when he was a young kitten, he'd sleep next to my pillow, in his spot. Now that I have a boyfriend and got a new bed under which he cannot hide, he sleeps on the couch or somewhere else. But when he hears us wake up, he storms in the room, chirping loudly and jumps right on me, gives both my bf and I cat kisses, then proceeds to knead my arm 'till I say it's enough.

Our lab-pitbull mix slept in his crate until he was about 7 or 8 months old and I could trust him not to get into stuff while we were sleeping, now he has a big comfy dog bed in the corner. He falls asleep there every night but then slyly sneaks up at some point and sleeps across our feet. It was fine when he was a puppy but now that he's a 65 pound beefcake he gets kicked off when it's too warm or when he's being a hog. The cats only get up there when he's not, but they're tiny by comparision. The cats go where they please (except counters and dining room table) but the bed is the only piece of furniture the dog is allowed on.

I knew I could count on AT to mostly share my opinion of pets belonging in the bed. I'm impressed to see that only one or two people cited "dirtiness" or "disease" as the reason they wouldn't let their animals in the bed. These folks seem to continue to ignore studies that show a bit of dirt and grime is good for you and children who grow up in households with pets have better immune systems and less allergies.

The cat sleeps wherever he wants, and our large dog is allowed in our bed. He usually starts out the night between my fiance and I, but it's a tight squeeze so he ends up leaving to spread out on his own bed. I wish he'd stay the whole night (my fiance doesn't).

As for fur, dirt, etc., no big deal. That's what the washing machine is for.

By the way, I am not a child hater (I love kids) so don't take offense to this, but most children are really very, very dirty, germ-ridden creatures. I would imagine the average child is just as if not a lot dirtier than my dog. If I'd allow my child into bed, which I certainly would, I'd let my dog onto the bed. My friend whose kid goes to daycare is constantly bringing in colds into the house. I can confidently say my animals have never once gotten me sick.

Basically, the bed belongs to my two cats, and they let me sleep in it. Which is ok by me because they are like my kids. My bedroom is also their 'safe place', so where they run to hide when strange guests come over. Or, I'm having a party and it's too loud for them. So, it's only natural they want to hang in there all day & night. As well, I have a very comfy memory foam mattress with cute West Elm bedding. I wish I was there right now!

My husband and I have a rule....Nobody in the bed you cannot have sex with. That means no pets...no kids. It is our retreat. Since I already allow the kids and dog into my bedroom for a variety of reasons at different points of the day, I have made the bed the one thing that is ours and ours alone. Everyone has their own bed decked out with clean sheets, blankets and pillows...and the dog has three of his own.

My little MinPin Pixel would love to sleep with us all night, and she will do it if she can get away with it, but the rule is, every night she can come up and curl with us for a while, while we read the latest FB posts in bed or watch the last show, but as soon as we turn the light off, she knows its time to "go to bed", she climbs down and patiently goes back to her own bed, in the first floor, always looking back, in case we change our mind. We love her, but she is so tiny we are afraid we are going to crush her or accidentally kick her out of bed... and it had happened.

There isn't anything cozier than a kitty on the bed. My cat has her own fleece cat bed at the foot of the bed and when I sit in bed and work on my laptop she alternates between my lap and her bed. I gladly put the laptop aside to get a little kitty love. When it's cold she finds a way to get under the covers and sleep until I move her aside so I can get in. My life is complete when she is on the bed.

If my precious pug didn't shed just by looking at me I'd happily let him in my bed. But for the sake of not having to wash my bed set everyday he has to sleep on his own bed. Only exceptions are when either he or I are sick.

Yes... our little Jack Russell sleeps with us all the time. He's my sleep buddy when my husband is away at sea. He's such a cuddle bug and keep me warm!

However, he sheds like crazy so it really is irritating, and we have to wash the sheets ALL the time. But... there's no way we are kicking him out!

Our wire haired dachshund sleeps with us every night. Sometimes she curls up at the foot of the bed, other times she just stretches out lengthwise between her humans. What's really funny is when she burrows under the covers down to the foot of our bed and starts licking our toes!

I love having our small dogs on the couch and bed with me! But once I got married, my husband is adamantly against having pets on the furniture :( Oh well.

I was completely the same way. I did not want either of my dogs (a Yorkie & a Pomeranian) to sleep in my bed. But are time went on my wife and I let her in our bed. Now I can't imagine them not sleeping in our bed.

@Jason Yang -- my husband and I let our dog sleep on the bed, but we have a rule that she is not allowed on any other furniture unless she is "invited." To teach her this, we would yell at her and make her get off the couch/chairs if she jumped up on her own. If she sat nicely while we were on the couch we'd ask her to come up. She sort of just figured out that she's not allowed up unless we say it's okay. (Though, I must admit, I've caught her sneaking up on the couch to lay in the sunshine in the morning...think we finally got her to stop that though) Good luck!

Our two cats sleep with us, one of them under the covers at some point every night. I had every intention of NOT allowing them on the bed when we got them, but that lasted all of one night.
They are no longer allowed in the bedroom during the day but when it's around bedtime he practically orders us to go to bed. Sometimes it's fun in the morning to see who's harder to get out of bed - my husband or the cats. They all give me the stinkeye...

The cat absolutely sleeps in the bed with me. She does get kicked out when the BF wants to spend some time with the, ah, *other* kitty... But I like having her there. When I lived at home, our old cat (God rest his furry little soul) would take turns sleeping in my and my brother's beds. We used to fight about who he'd sleep with.

Should have clarified...I like having her there ANY OTHER TIME. Awkward.

My dog has her own bed (actually two, one upstairs and one downstairs), but she is such a snuggler that sometimes when I go up early to read in bed I will let her snuggle with me.

Our dog has her own bed at the foot of our own that she is happy to sleep in at night, but any other time she is allowed on the bed. She snuggles before we go to sleep, in the mornings etc. She can lounge there on her own if she likes. However, I think we all sleep better with the little bed-hog on her own bed at night.

Our pug dog sleeps with us. He manages to take up an inordinate amount of room and loves to snuggle next to my shoulder, snoring in my ear. Most of the time it doesn't bother me but sometimes I have to move him to the foot of the bed.

One of our cats will sleep unobtrusively at the foot of the bed, until morning when he taps my back relentlessly until I feed him. The younger one has, since day one, attempted to sleep across my neck. It was cute when he was tiny, but now it's a but much. I can usually slide him over a bit so he is on one shoulder, which isn't too bad.

I can't imagine how I would teach them not to sleep in our bed, but thankfully I like their furry cuddles.

I can't imagine sleeping in bed without my two girl chihuahuas. Every night, when it's time for me to go to bed, I yell "Uppy Puppy!" and they immediately start jumping around because they're so excited to go upstairs and lie on top of the fluffy comforter.

good thing we have a king-size bed. Two adults + one cat + occasionally, a toddler = full bed, and we're looking to add more :) (cats and babies).

Yes, my dog sleeps in my bed, but she is non-shedding, tiny, quiet, and doesn't move around at night. So it's kind of like have a little warm doll in the bed. It's really nice to wake up to a friendly face every morning, too.

We have two dogs, one of them likes to sleep on her own, thank goodness. The other one, all 103lbs of him, is far too big for the bed, so, naturally, he takes up all the space! ;)

I used to then I started losing sleep because a cat would sleep on my head. Oh, and the fur and traces of litter just turned me off.

I did have one cat, Boochie, he was the best. He's sleep at my feet and then gently nudge me on my back when he wanted/needed out. RIP

I have a cat. She lets me sleep in HER bed.

even though she is a bichon and therefore doesn't really shed, living in new york is dirty. she can cuddle only if she's just had a bath. anything that lives in the outside world (ie, shoes, street clothes, etc) is not invited under my covers. that being said, she normally prefers her bed anyways (and will often hop off the bed in preference of her personal space) and she has full reign over the couch - not much i can do in a 500 sq foot apartment.

My dog is a 75lb Lab, and she's so funny--she starts out the evening on her bed (right next to ours on the floor) and then by the time we wake up, she's pushed my husband over towards me and she's sleeping on our bed.

She never attempts to get up on my side because she knows I'll kick her off, but clearly my husband is a pushover--literally and figuratively. That said, she only asks to get up on my side of the couch when we're watching TV. Likely for the same reasons.

Its always my boyfriend and I and our three cats piled in the bed every night. My boy cat sleeps on my pillow or my bfs and one of my girls sleeps next to me and one at our feet. I wouldn't have it any other way. They are my babies and I love when they sleep with us! They love to snuggle and give kisses. It wouldn't be the same if they slept some place else. Plus, like we ever had a say in it, they do what they want. We live for them lol...

Our Siberian Husky used to sleep on the bed curled up, nose under tail, behind my knees. We adopted him when my husband was working night shift, so I liked having him close. Even after the hubby got moved to days, though, Jake would hop up to sleep at the foot of the bed (often hopping down again after we'd fallen asleep). He liked being close to the rest of his pack at night. Washable duvet covers kept the fur at bay.

@VictoriaFromSunday - get a furminator! ebay it, $20. I have a pug and it's a lifesaver.

We bought the bed, but it seems more like our dog allows us to sleep in it with him!

Every single comment has been hilarious, heart-warming, or both, but I think I have to give the trophy to ErinPJ "the other kitty," LOL!

I love our cats. That's why we have them. But the cats have their room for sleeping, and we have ours. Also, my husband once accidentally threw his cat Turtle against a wall while he was still asleep because she started batting at his eyelashes. He was terrified he'd killed her and doesn't relish the thought of something similar happening again. So, they aren't allowed in our bedroom (and the hair would drive me batty). Nor are they allowed in the kitchen (It only has one entrance, so they have no need to be traipsing through. It also has large black and white tiles. It's amazing how well a black cat blends in enough for me to accidentally step on him. Also, they're scavengers. I had enough of them trying to get into the garbage every time I turned my back.), or on the furniture. Except for the cuddle chair, which (being leather) is resistant to hair and their desire to knead bread on any and every fabric surface. In all honesty, I cringe at pictures or commercials that show cats walking around on kitchen counters or dining room tables. As cute as it may sound to say that animals are the true masters of ones household, I don't think I could live that way.

I sleep better when my cat is on the bed and she seems happy to snuggle up to me. Snuggling in bed is our #1 bonding time (and breakfast is #2). :)

LISA IN TEXAS --I swear our ratties are related. I have the exact same story. Mine in under the covers every night--till it gets too hot. I've learned to live with it after all these years.

I used to let my 2 kitties sleep with me. They're indoor cats so I'm not too worried about them getting the bed dirty. And for the most part they'd either sleep at the foot of the bed or under neath it.

But then out of the blue, one of my kitties decided to use the bed as her litter box. She didn't have an UTI, but it was more behavior related. Ever since then, I don't let any kitties in the bedroom as having to sleep on the couch for a week straight while the mattress aired out was no fun. I used that enzyme cleaner to get the smell and stains out. But it takes a bit to work.

Our cat sleeps in the bed. She likes to be under the covers during the colder months. We also have iggies, and most people let them sleep in the bed, but one used to pee on the kitchen cabinets at night (before we had the doggy door installed) and the other has a penchant for digging out of the yard on occasions when he gets stressed, so it's just easier to crate them at night.

I've seen French Bulldog owners wipe poop off their pooch's butt at the dog park. So no thanks to putting that dog in bed with me. Or any dog for that matter. Letting your dog sleep in your bed sends the message that he is on equal ground with you. Can lead to dominance problems later if he thinks he can be on your level. Our dogs are perfectly content to sleep on the floor or their own beds.

Another set of schnauzers here, so we have no issues with fur and we clean their paws when they come in the house. One sleeps curled behind our knees, weighing the blankets down. The other cuddles with us at bedtime, then flounces off to sleep in her own bed overnight (humans move too much for her liking), and returns to sleep in the bed with us in the morning. She has her own pillow, dubbed The Princess Throne, that keeps her from waking us up when she returns in the morning.

Schnauzers...they are something. :) As an after thought, my bed hasn't been made in three days because my calico cat discovered she loves sleeping on a turned back corner of the feather comforter with a folded blanket I threw there (temporarily) for her pillow. I'm an old lady now and can suit myself as to how I live. :) One of the few blessings of old age. So I fit myself and whoever dog wants to join us around the kitty...she'll get tired of it one of these days but until then, we make do. :)

My German Shorthair Pointer sleeps under the covers and is the best little furnace in the winter!

My three cats sleep where ever they like. On cold days I'll wake up with one under the covers behind my knees, one on my feet, and the other trying to drape himself across my neck.

Considering, growing up I always had my pets sleep in my bed, it seems natural to let my pets sleep in bed with me now. I think the most pets I've had in bed was three, two dogs and one cat. I currently have 3 dogs, but two are crated at night and the bulldog sleeps on a pillow or wedge on the bed.

My cat will sleep where he like and mainly that means my bed, I've tried persuading him with fancy pet beds and comfy cushions but they just don't interest him so I just go with it!

no. no dogs on furniture, period. they have lots of nice plush rugs and several cozy dog beds (including one in our bedroom) to choose from. furniture is for humans and that is it. if we want to snuggle with our 2 labs, we sit on the carpet with them.

I let my chihuahua sleep on my bed whenever she wants but sometimes she goes into her bedded cage or her small bed on the floor whenever she's eating a treat. But she's not allowed on the couch. My sheets and my blankets are full of pet hair so I wash them and vacuum them on a weekly basis.

When we got our bulldog puppy we were very good about keeping him in a kennel in our room at night. That progressed to sleeping with us some nights, and sleeping in the kennel some nights. When he ripped the kennel zipper (his sleep kennel was a soft shell kennel) one night by stretching out with his paws to far, the plan was to let him sleep with us until we replaced it. Once we replaced it we never actually made him sleep in it. Now he's there every night, and I love it. I don't think I could sleep well without him, although I don't exactly sleep well with him when he's snoring and hogging the bed/covers. But he loves to sleep under the covers some of the time, with his face burrowed into my armpit (I know, he's weird), and cuddling with him is the best. Plus when he's actually at the foot of the bed and not in the way it feels like a special treat to be able to cuddle with my husband instead.

The cats on the other hand...They're allowed on the bed but they're annoying and they usually only come by to try to wake me up if they want something. I'd love to kick them out, but the scratching at the door if we didn't let them in would probably be worse than having them there.

When I first adopted my cats, I did not let them in my bedroom, but I caved after a couple of months. Now they curl up on either side of me, but on stay top of the covers. It can be tricky getting out of bed in the morning when there is 24 lbs of cat pinning the covers down on top of you!

As a former professional house cleaner I see life from both sides. I have had client's whose places were pretty covered with pet hair. One of my first questions was: kids or pets? how many, what kinds? Definitely made a difference in my quote. I was having a few flashbacks reading the comments.......

That said, I have 2 cats with numerous beds of their own. They rarely get on our bed, but are not allowed on pillows or under blankets when they do. They get wiped down with a damp rag & brushed frequently.

The doggy is much cleaner --- a poodle, so no shedding (which was intentional given my experiences). I wipe her paws, give her a bath regularly & shear her down tight ---. I was a bit concerned about cleanliness issues around a dog, but she is the cleanest animal I've ever known & WAY cleaner than the boys.

Doggy burrows straight to the bottom of the bed at night. How does she BREATHE down there??? Decorative sheet over white comforter keeps it clean (& I can change up the room with the change of a sheet).

PS -- those yellow dishwasher gloves (with the little diamonds on the palm) & a spritz of water can literally scrape fur from upholstery.