My Dog Lies In a Bed of Leaves — and Loves It

Jasper loves fall.

Jasper loves fall.

Our yard is filled with lots of trees, in a neighborhood that is built in the woods, right next to a large, forested park.

So when autumn leaves turn colors, it’s beautiful.

And when they fall to the ground, it’s lots of work.

There are way too many leaves for us to—ahem—leave them there. All the grass would die beneath them, and we’d wind up with a yard of mud. So every year, we rake, and blow, and gather, and drag leaves into a compost pile in the forest on our property.

My dogs enjoy running through the leaves, and flopping down in the large, soft heaps that we build around the yard, before we cart them off.

Jasper, in particular, loves lying in the leaf piles. It is among his most favorite activities, which include:

  • Sleeping
  • Lying on the couch
  • Going for walks
  • Lying in a dog bed
  • Barking at anything that needs barking at
  • Lying on a people bed

The other dogs think leaves are okay—maybe even a bit amusing—but are really no big deal.  

Lilah is happy to lie anywhere: on leaves, in the grass, in the mud. She's not really particular.

Lilah is happy to lie anywhere: on leaves, in the grass, in the mud. She’s not really particular.

Tucker is all about the ball, and leaves are nothing more than something he has to run through to chase—or bring back—his beloved orb.

Tucker is all about the ball, and leaves are nothing more than something he has to run through to chase—or bring back—his beloved orb.

To Jasper, on the other paw, it is as if—for just a few weeks every year—giant, soft dog beds have been placed around the yard just for him. And he takes full advantage of it.

Even before we start raking, Jasper will simply lie among the leaves, happy his crunchy beds have reappeared once again.

Leaves are comfortable to lie in, make a lovely crunchy sound, and smell good.

A dog and his leaves.

But leaves are great to roll in, too—and Jasper will flop around on the leaf-covered ground, grabbing mouthfuls of the crunchy colors and tossing them everywhere. Just for the joy of it. 

One of Jasper's favorite activities is rolling in the leaves.

One of Jasper’s favorite activities is rolling in the leaves.

Then he’ll stop and look at me, as if inviting me to join him. “C’mon. It’s fun! It’s leaves! They crunch, they smell good and you can throw them and roll around in them.” I’ll admit it’s tempting. 

After the roll; notice the leaf crumbs on his back.

After the roll; notice the leaf crumbs on his back.

When Brian and I (mostly Brian this year, I’ll admit) start raking, Jasper is even happier. The leaf beds get larger, crunchier, and softer.

So every autumn, I’ll ask Brian to leave at least one large pile out for as long as possible, so Jasper—and to a lesser extent, the other pups—can play in the leaves. Which goes something like this: Lilah runs through the pile in giant bounces, like a Border Collie Tigger. Jasper is close behind, though he stomps through the leaves, seeming to enjoy the rustly sounds of his movements. And then Tucker joins both of them; he doesn’t seem to understand why they’re in a pile of leaves, but if his brother and sister are there, he wants to be part of it too.

After a few seconds, Tucker will go looking for his ball, or a stick or a sniff to investigate, followed soon by Lilah, who will have found the leaves boring. 

But not Jasper. He’ll tromp around in the leaves until he sits down and then—with a smile and a wag—he’ll lie down and get comfortable.

And there he’ll stay.

Jasper sitting in the middle of a pile of leaves.

First Jasper sits.

Not even the sound of the neighbor’s dogs will pull Jasper out of his pile. Not even when Tucker and Lilah run barking and howling to the fence for a canine discussion.

Not even the sound of the neighbor's dogs will pull Jasper out of his pile.

The neighbor’s dogs may be outside, but… LEAVES!

Jasper becomes one with his pile of leaves. Eventually, all you see is his head and his tail, as he settles into his leafy bed.

A very happy Jasper.

A very happy Jasper.

As long as there’s a leaf pile, it is Jasper’s favorite place. I can’t help but smile when I watch him stomp around in his leaves, wagging his tail and enjoying the simple pleasures of the moment.

Maybe next year, I will join him.

Until then, I made this amusing video of my dog and his Best Place Ever: a leafy bed.

Enjoy.

A dog loves to lie in a pile of leaves, and doesn't want to leave

Where are your pet’s favorite places?

You may also like:

 



3 Comments on "My Dog Lies In a Bed of Leaves — and Loves It"

Trackback | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Edie Chase says:

    He’s like the Loch Ness monster of leaves, you can only see his head and tail. ?

  2. Those leaves look like a lot of fun ! Purrs

Post a Comment

%d bloggers like this: