A Dog to Watch Over Her Sleep

It's hard waking up early. Our daughter has to be in school at 7:30AM. Knowing that she needs her time to wake up and show her first smile, I take her down from her bedroom upstairs and put her on the couch in our living room, where she can sleep another half hour, but with the routine of the new day already starting its engines around her. 
Isabella and Aristoteles have a very special relationship. She used to have a lot of nightmares, until we let Aristoteles sleep in her room one day - something she had always wanted. The nightmares reduced greatly in frequency. Since then, Aristoteles is very protective of her. When I come into her room, he let me pick her up and follows us down the stairs. But as soon as she is lying on the couch, he sits or lies down on top of her. And if one of our other three dogs try to get close to her, he defends her ferociously. He has no chance against the other three, who are all bigger and heavier than him, but he always goes down with big drama.
In the morning, Isabellas hair looks like a creek of dreams flowing out of her head, making room for a new day.

(amandoAlentejo made an interesting observation in her blip yesterday. After joining the Experimental Photography Challenge, she writes: "With all this experimentation, I'm feeling confused about what is a good photo..." I loved it, because it confirms that when you explore and go beyond your limits, perspectives change. You look differently at the things you thought you knew so well.)