A large husky dog lying on a bed with pastel blankets, surrounded by a young child and a grayish-white cat. 6:27
Life with Malamutes channel icon Life with MalamutesOriginal creator 420K views Save

A husky and a Maine Coon on bedtime duty

Mia used to fall asleep on her own in her cot, with a bottle. These days she wants her parents' bed, and she wants company. more

The change came over a couple of weeks, and her mum is not sure why. It might be a normal two-year-old phase. She's starting to think the daytime nap has to go. Either way, someone now has to lie beside Mia while she drifts off, her mum or her dad, Shane.

More and more, that someone isn't a parent at all. Phil, the family's big husky, takes one side of her, and Milo, a fluffy Maine Coon cat, takes the other. "As long as she's not alone, she's happy," her mum says.

A large fluffy dog sleeps curled up on a patterned blanket next to a person's hand. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The pets settle in for the hour it takes Mia to fall into a deep sleep.

Wind-down takes about an hour, and the pets don't seem to mind. "I think the pets actually quite enjoy the snuggle time," she says. The way she sees it, they have started picking up some of the parents' duties.

A large husky dog lying on a bed with pastel blankets, surrounded by a young child and a grayish-white cat. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Mia used to fall asleep on her own in her cot, with a bottle.

Milo purrs when someone pets him, a fluffy white noise machine at Mia's side. Her mum's theory is simple. Maybe all Mia needs to fall asleep is a heartbeat near her.

A small child sleeps on a blanket-covered bed beside a large fluffy cat. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Milo the Maine Coon keeps Mia company as she drifts off.

Then the lights go off, to see if Mia stays asleep. With the camera flash on, Milo's and Phil's eyes look "quite scary," her mum admits. Mia sleeps through it. "She is out like a light." By now Milo has wandered off, but Phil is still right next to her, doing what her mum calls a spectacular job.

Moving Mia to her cot means moving Phil first. "Right, Phillip, time to leave," her mum tells him. Phil stays put. It takes more than one try, ending with "Seriously, Phil. Seriously. Come on."

A fluffy dog sleeps on a bed with white sheets, with a colorful blanket close by. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Mia is asleep, but Phil has no plans to give up his spot on the bed.

At last Mia is settled in her crib. Milo, true to form, follows her straight into her room. "He would sleep in here if he could," her mum says. "He loves that blanket."

Niko, one of the family's other dogs, missed all of it. She spent the whole time conked out on her back in the bathroom. "Very, very helpful," her mum says.

Niko isn't allowed to sleep in there, partly because of the bleach and partly because she and Teddy, another of the pets, have a thing for toilet rolls. So she gets moved to her parents' room, where she tries for the bed. "Not in bed," her mum tells her. "It's my seat."

#husky#cats