Sleep hygiene is important for a good night’s rest. Establishing these habits early ensures good habits for the rest of your life! As adults, you can do things like minimizing your screen time in the hours leading up to bedtime, having a hot, relaxing shower, and listening to soothing music. And when we’re kids, it’s about washing up, getting read a bedtime story, and then getting tucked in by a loving parent!
I loved it when my mom or dad spent a few moments with me before drifting off to dreamland. It’s an act of love. Prince the shelter pit bull knows what I’m talking about and can definitely relate.
Before Prince ended up in the shelter, he was loved and adored by his owner and his owner’s girlfriend. He spent the first couple of years of his life with the couple until they couldn’t take care of him anymore. Prince was abandoned when animal control found him and brought him to the shelter. Dedicated staff tried to find the girlfriend to see if they could get a hold of her to pick up Prince. But, days turned into weeks which turned into months, and no one ever came by.
The poor pup fell into a depression. His owners abandoned him, and he became nervous around people. “He took a long time to warm up to us,” Nancy Haynes, director of behavior and enrichment at Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, told The Dodo. “Even when you approached his kennel, he would sit in the back and cower and shake. You would usually find him curled up in a ball at the back of his kennel.”
It was this behavior that warded off any potential adopters. As a result, no one wanted to take him home! Prince struggled for a while, and so did the volunteers. They wanted to help but didn’t know how until one of the staff stumbled upon what truly makes Prince happy.
It’s getting tucked in! Prince loves getting snuggled and wrapped in a blanket before bed. He’s got a little routine going on with the keepers and they all know that when it comes to his bedtime, he needs a couple of minutes of love and cuddles and getting tucked in before the lights go out. He knows when it’s coming too. He starts to wag his tail, expected to get tucked in when staff members are making their rounds.
With this slight adjustment to Prince’s caretaking, his behavior and attitude have entirely changed. He’s so much better with people and has come out of his depression much more quickly – but he still needs a home! “He’s relatively easy,” Nancy says. “He walks nicely on a leash. He’s smart. He’s very easily trained. He’s energetic, but not too high-energy. So he would make a really great companion for somebody.”
Click on the video below to watch his adorable nighttime routine.
