I often call him “Oi”. Sometimes he’s “little buddy”. When Kiddo and I talk about him, he’s “Little Black Jedi“, or LBJ. Scruffy has become a little man about the house. He certainly spends more time in the house than any one of us. He’s got 2-3 spots in the house which are his favourites, and have become sort of his spots.

He likes both corners of our old couch in front of the TV, right on top of the headrest. He is often perched up there in either of the spots, sleeping in the groove between the back board and the back cushion. Lately, he has also taken up a spot on the leather couch in the lounge, overlooking the main windows into the park across the street where we take him when it’s not raining. Tress thinks he is pining for the park visits when he does that, especially when he sees other dogs there.

At night, he wont go to the room to sleep as long as one of us are in the lounge or TV area. He’d sleep on the old couch, but sprawled across one of the seats. When the last of us (usually me) gets up to go to bed, he’d wake up and trot off to one of our rooms. Currently he appears to be avoiding kiddo’s room. We think it’s the VCE mess he’s avoiding.

Once in the room – or at least with Tress and I – he’d wait on the floor for a few minutes before hopping onto the bed. He wants to settle down right next to us but we usually make him sleep just at the end of the bed, near our feet. He’d settle for that more than in his own bed on the floor. Experts tell us Schnoodles are like that. They just want to be near their humans, as much (and as near) as possible. Sometimes when all 3 of us are watching TV, he’d curl up next to one of us on the couch, usually on the long end of the chaise. He’s become an honorary fourth member of the family.