Snuggly Pup Palace

The Pooch Palace is a heaven on earth for dogs and anyone who loves dogs. A luxury dog hotel in a spacious farmhouse, deep in the countryside. It's a home away from home for the luckiest of pups. The Pooch Palace doesn't accept human guests, just staff members, but every so often for a special occasion someone fortunate will be allowed to spend a little time there in its relaxing environs, while the dogs are settling down for the night. And this evening, that fortunate someone is you. Before we begin spending some quality time with our small and not-so-small furry friends, I think it's nice to start with a little wind down. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise, so when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get comfortable in your bed. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath, in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So, are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four, hold it for four, two, three, four, breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great, now, returning the breath to normal. The canine guests at the Pooch Palace aren't assigned to rooms or, thank goodness, cages. They can sleep anywhere that tickles their fancy, as long as another dog hasn't got their first. The hotel's main space, affectionately known as the snooze room due to the number of dogs that might be napping in there at any one time, is a large living area with an assortment of sitting and snoozing options centered around a large fireplace which the dogs jostle to snuggle down in front of. From your seat on the leather button-back sofa you can gaze alternately at the orange flames in the grate dancing around a stack of logs and the various hounds in their different spots around the room, some still with a little energy to burn off before bedtime, others already fast asleep and dreaming their doggy dreams. Did you happen to notice the upright piano in the corner? Unexpectedly, a young man dressed in a three-piece suit has led himself quietly into the room and is now sitting down in front of the piano and turning the pages of the sheet music on the stand. One of the quirks of this eccentric place is that some days the dogs are treated to a little music before bedtime. And the pianist is named Sam and he's actually the hotel...