{"id":121945,"date":"2025-04-11T16:02:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T09:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/?p=121945"},"modified":"2025-04-11T16:02:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T09:02:41","slug":"sherman-wont-sleep-until-he-tucks-them-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/sherman-wont-sleep-until-he-tucks-them-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Sherman Won’t Sleep Until He Tucks Them In"},"content":{"rendered":"

He\u2019s our English Mastiff. 180 pounds of drool and love. Honestly, he\u2019s more like a tired old grandpa than a dog. Big sighs. Slow movements. Deep, thoughtful eyes.\n

But his soft spot? Our daughters.\n

We\u2019ve got two girls, ages 6 and 9, and Sherman has this bedtime ritual he came up with on his own. As soon as they start brushing their teeth, he heads to the hallway and waits. Just sits there like a sentry. Then, when they\u2019re done, he follows them into their room, one at a time.\n

He licks their hands gently. Nuzzles his huge head onto their beds. Sometimes he even lets out this low, happy grunt, like he\u2019s officially clocked out for the night.\n

And once both girls have had their goodnight snuggles? He trots\u2014well, lumbers\u2014back to the living room, flops onto his blanket, and lets out the world\u2019s deepest sigh.\n

The thing is\u2026 last night, something felt off.\n

He got up like usual. Waited in the hallway. But when the girls called him in, he hesitated. Just stood there, staring. Then he turned and went to the front door instead.\n

He started whining. Low and quiet, but steady.\n

My husband, Dante, and I looked at each other, confused.\n

\u201cMaybe he heard something outside?\u201d I whispered.\n

But Sherman never does that.\n

I cracked the door open just a little.\n

And what I saw on the porch made my heart skip.\n

There, huddled in the corner, was a small cat. Maybe six or seven months old. It had gray-and-white fur, a fluffy tail, and these big, frightened green eyes. The poor thing was soaked from the drizzle that had started an hour earlier. The little cat looked up at me, locked eyes, and let out the most pitiful mew I\u2019ve ever heard.\n

Sherman, standing right behind me, let out a quiet rumble of concern. Not a growl\u2014more like, \u201cHey, we need to do something about this.\u201d\n

I opened the door wider and gently scooped the cat up. It was trembling so hard I could feel its little heart pounding. Dante grabbed an old towel from the closet, and we wrapped her up. Right away, Sherman sniffed her gently, his tail swishing. He didn\u2019t seem upset or jealous. He just seemed\u2026worried.\n

Our daughters, Lila (9) and Mia (6), were still waiting in their bedroom, confused about why Sherman had suddenly vanished when it was supposed to be their bedtime routine. So, I motioned for Dante to take the cat into the kitchen while I went to reassure the girls.\n

\u201cEverything okay, Mom?\u201d Lila asked as I walked in.\n

\u201cSherman looked scared,\u201d Mia added.\n

I gave them both a quick hug. \u201cHe\u2019s okay. He just found something outside. No big deal. Let\u2019s get you both tucked in, and then I\u2019ll explain everything.\u201d\n

Normally, Sherman would be the one following me into their room, waiting to do his goodnight snuggles. But that evening, he had a different priority. I could hear him in the kitchen with Dante, pacing again as if he was standing guard. The girls, half-excited and half-sleepy, settled into their beds without a fuss\u2014but they were curious.\n

\u201cIs it an animal?\u201d Lila asked, eyes bright.\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cat, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Mia guessed, propping herself up on one elbow.\n

I sighed. I never could keep secrets from them for long. \u201cYes, it\u2019s a little cat. Sherman found her on the porch. She\u2019s okay, just scared. We\u2019ll figure out what to do in the morning.\u201d\n

The girls were satisfied enough with that, so I kissed them goodnight and slipped out. Our usual bedtime ritual was broken, but in a weird way, I think they knew Sherman had a mission to help.\n

When I returned to the kitchen, I found Sherman gently nuzzling the cat while Dante placed a shallow dish of water nearby. The cat\u2019s tiny tongue lapped at it eagerly, still wrapped in the towel, though she\u2019d stopped trembling quite so much. When I crouched down to pet her, she blinked up at me, looking more relieved than scared.\n

\u201cThink she\u2019s lost?\u201d Dante asked, keeping his voice low.\n

\u201cShe could be,\u201d I said. \u201cBut she doesn\u2019t have a collar. Maybe she\u2019s a stray, or maybe she belongs to one of the new neighbors.\u201d\n

Sherman sat back and let out a soft huff, as if he approved of our plan to help her. The cat, who I found myself calling \u201cPepper\u201d in my head, nuzzled my hand. After a few minutes of deliberation, Dante and I agreed: we\u2019d set her up in the laundry room for the night, with a comfy old blanket and a small litter box we improvised out of a plastic bin.\n

Sherman refused to leave her alone, though. Whenever we\u2019d step out of the room, he\u2019d follow\u2026 only to stand at the threshold, stare back at Pepper, and whine. It was the same low whine that brought me to the front door in the first place. Finally, we let him lay in the hallway outside the laundry room, the door open just enough so he could see her. He only settled down after he was sure she was cozy and safe.\n

It was nearly 10:00 p.m. by then\u2014definitely bedtime for all of us. But Sherman was restless. He got up again, ambled down to the girls\u2019 room, and poked his enormous head inside. I guess he didn\u2019t want to break his nightly tradition entirely. He made his way to Lila\u2019s bed, sniffed her cheek, and gave the lightest lick to Mia\u2019s hand. The girls, half-asleep, giggled softly.\n

Then, with his final nighttime duty done, Sherman lumbered back to the hallway near the laundry room, circled three times, and flopped onto the floor. After that, he was out like a light.\n

The next morning, the sun was shining, and Pepper was wide awake, pawing at the door. I peeked in and found Sherman sitting upright, his ears perked and his big, wrinkly face looking concerned as always. Mia and Lila emerged a few minutes later, still rubbing sleep from their eyes, but excited to see the cat. Mia let out a small squeal of delight, rushing forward to pet her, while Lila carefully picked Pepper up and cradled her against her shoulder.\n

We checked with some neighbors that afternoon, but nobody seemed to recognize Pepper. One neighbor mentioned that she\u2019d seen a stray gray-and-white kitten around the park a couple blocks away a few times, but couldn\u2019t say for sure if it was the same cat. Meanwhile, Pepper acted like she\u2019d lived with us her whole life. She followed Sherman around (which, given the size difference, was pretty hilarious\u2014imagine a tiny cat trotting after a massive Mastiff). And Sherman, for his part, seemed more protective than ever. It was like he\u2019d decided Pepper was part of the family.\n

For a week, we kept an eye out for any \u201clost cat\u201d posters. We checked local social media boards to see if anyone was missing a furry friend. Nothing came up. The girls were ecstatic, obviously, and Dante\u2014even though he\u2019d never considered having a cat\u2014was surprisingly open to letting her stay. \u201cSherman clearly wants her here,\u201d he joked one evening. \u201cWho am I to argue with a 180-pound guard dog who\u2019s fallen in love with a cat?\u201d\n

Every night that week, Pepper settled onto a little pillow bed we set up in the girls\u2019 room. And every night, right around 8:15, Sherman would go into his pacing routine. He\u2019d wait while the girls brushed their teeth, do his usual quick snuggle routine with both of them, then glance over to Pepper as if to say, \u201cAll good in here?\u201d Only then would he head back to his blanket in the living room.\n

But the real surprise came a couple of weeks later. A Saturday afternoon, I was tidying up the porch when I heard an excited voice call out from the sidewalk, \u201cPepper! Pepper!\u201d A young woman\u2014probably in her early twenties\u2014hurried up, looking utterly relieved. She explained that her kitten had darted out the front door of her apartment a few weeks back and never returned. She\u2019d been combing the neighborhood, posting pictures on local boards (apparently we\u2019d missed her specific posts), and was starting to lose hope. When she glimpsed Pepper\u2019s distinctive gray-and-white markings resting on our windowsill, she couldn\u2019t believe it.\n

My heart sank a little. By that time, Pepper really did feel like part of our household. Mia was especially attached, doodling pictures of her in all her school notebooks. Lila had been teaching her to fetch little crumpled-up paper balls. And, of course, Sherman had become Pepper\u2019s giant protector. But we knew it wasn\u2019t right to keep someone else\u2019s beloved pet.\n

I invited the woman in, and sure enough, Pepper ran straight to her. She held Pepper close, tears in her eyes, thanking me over and over. It was a happy reunion, but I could see the questions flicker across Lila\u2019s face. She was old enough to understand.\n

Then Sherman did something surprising. He walked right up to the woman, wagged his tail a bit, and gave Pepper one last sniff. He let out a single, soft huff, like he was\u2026 saying goodbye. I might be imagining that, but it was such a gentle moment. Pepper nuzzled her tiny head under Sherman\u2019s massive chin, and the two of them just stayed like that for a solid minute, silent and still.\n

We helped gather Pepper\u2019s things\u2014a food dish, some of the cat treats the girls had been sneaking to her, and that little pillow bed we\u2019d made. The woman kept thanking us repeatedly, saying how grateful she was. Lila and Mia hugged Pepper goodbye, tears in their eyes, but also smiles on their faces when they saw how happy Pepper was to be going home.\n

That evening, I expected Sherman to be glum or restless. But at 8:15 sharp, he got up and did his usual pacing. He waited for the girls to brush their teeth, followed them into their room, gave them each his customary \u201cSherman tuck-in,\u201d and then flopped down in the living room. He gave one huge sigh\u2014content, I think, to have done his job. Even though Pepper wasn\u2019t there anymore, it was like he knew everything was just as it was supposed to be.\n

A few days later, we got a thank-you card in the mail from Pepper\u2019s owner, along with a photo of her curled up in a sunny spot by a window. The girls taped it to their bedroom mirror, and Sherman occasionally sniffs at it, letting out one of those happy grunts that says, \u201cShe\u2019s okay.\u201d\n

I\u2019ve learned something from all this. Sometimes, the best way we can help is by paying attention to the subtle clues our loved ones\u2014and our pets\u2014give us. Sherman\u2019s gentle whine at the door that night was his way of saying, \u201cHey, someone out there needs us.\u201d And by listening, we ended up reuniting a lost cat with her owner. We also taught our daughters a small but powerful lesson: when you see someone in need, even if it\u2019s just a stray cat on a rainy porch, you can make a big difference by choosing compassion.\n

Sherman continues his nightly routine, refusing to rest until he\u2019s absolutely sure both girls are tucked in safe. It\u2019s comforting in a way I can\u2019t fully describe\u2014to know that this big, slobbery dog has our backs, even at bedtime. And if another stray shows up on our porch, I have no doubt Sherman will let us know.\n

No matter how ordinary a day might seem, kindness can turn it into something extraordinary. And that\u2019s the thought I want to leave you with: real love is shown in the details\u2014in the quiet moments and the subtle signals that something (or someone) needs your care.\n

If this story warmed your heart, I encourage you to share it with a friend or loved one who might appreciate a little extra faith in the goodness of people\u2014and dogs. And if you liked following Sherman\u2019s adventures, give this post a like so we know you enjoy these feel-good stories. The world can always use more gentle giants like Sherman\u2014and more neighbors looking out for the ones who are lost.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every night, right around 8:15, Sherman starts pacing. Not frantic or anything\u2014just this slow, patient back-and-forth across the living room like he\u2019s waiting for someone to tell him it\u2019s time. He\u2019s our English Mastiff. 180 pounds of drool and love. Honestly, he\u2019s more like a tired old grandpa than a dog. Big sighs. Slow movements.\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":121948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[818],"class_list":{"0":"post-121945","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moral-story","8":"tag-moral-touching-stories"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/486424161_524483937385357_8762809413161302262_n.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121949,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121945\/revisions\/121949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}