Owners who sleep with their pets say it’s comforting, so they sleep better

Great Dane Murdock is a snuggler. Great Dane Murdock is a snuggler.

By Karen Nazor Hill April 12, 2016 7 min read

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Pets in bed: Owners who sleep with their pets say it’s comforting, so they sleep better

Riley Young snuggles with Jasper, a terrier mix.

Eloise makes a habit of making Lela Moore's bed her own.

There's plenty room for Lee and Kris Shuff, who routinely sleep with Bleu, their 4-pound Chihuahua.

Little Pierre snuggles every night with his owner, Lucy Wright.

Travis Young is not surprised that a recent survey shows that snuggling with a pet throughout the night can make a person feel more safe and secure.

He saw it firsthand when his son Riley, 10, began sleeping with Jasper, their 16-pound Terrier mix.

“We had trouble getting Riley to sleep by himself in his own room after living in a one-bedroom apartment during a move,” says Young, owner of Scenic City European Import Auto Sales in Chattanooga. “He would demand someone sleep in the room with him and we were running out of solutions. We came up with the idea that the dog could sleep with him and it worked.”

Young says Jasper, who’s 8, “curls in a ball’ next to Riley’s pillow.

“I’m pretty sure (Riley) drags him up there,” says Young. “I’m not worried about it hurting Jasper – he is the boss of the house and roughs up our 80-pound Lab mix.”