Murphy's eyes keep closing.

His body keeps leaning.

But every time gravity pulls him toward the same side, he wakes with a start.

The six-year-old West Highland Terrier mix arrived at the shelter with one shoulder badly swollen and multiple abrasions after he was found injured near a construction site.

By the time he reaches the medical kennel, Murphy looks exhausted.

There is a padded surface beneath him.

Enough room to stretch out.

Enough quiet to sleep.

Yet Murphy will not place his injured side against the bedding.

Instead, he sits.

His body tilts slightly away from the swollen shoulder.

His eyes slowly close.

His head sinks.

For a few seconds, Murphy appears to be asleep.

Then his balance gives way.

His body begins falling toward the painful side.

Murphy jerks awake and immediately pushes himself upright again.

Minutes later, the entire cycle starts over.

Murphy Was Found Injured Near a Construction Site

There are obvious questions about what happened.

But location alone cannot answer them.

Murphy may have fallen.

He may have been struck or caught against something.

Another type of blunt trauma could have occurred.

Without witnesses or definitive medical findings that establish a cause, the shelter cannot turn those possibilities into facts.

What is clear is the result.

One side of Murphy's shoulder is significantly swollen.

His skin carries multiple abrasions.

And his posture suggests that contact around the injured area is extremely uncomfortable.

He Can Lower Himself—But Only in Certain Directions

At first, Murphy's reluctance to lie down could look like generalized pain.

Then caregivers watch more closely.

He can shift his weight toward the healthier side.

He can lower his chest somewhat.

He can adjust his hindquarters.

The problem becomes most obvious when his injured shoulder approaches the mattress.

Murphy stops.

Or immediately pushes himself away.

Even Soft Bedding Is Still Pressure

A padded kennel floor may look comfortable.

But softness does not eliminate pressure.

When Murphy lies on one side, part of his body weight has to travel through the shoulder touching the surface.

If that tissue is swollen, bruised, inflamed, fractured, or otherwise injured, even a soft mattress may be painful.

The bed is not necessarily the problem.

Contact is.

So Murphy Finds Another Solution

He sits.

Not perfectly upright.

His body leans away from the injured side.

One front leg bears more responsibility than the other.

His head stays slightly off-center.

It is not a comfortable-looking posture.

But it keeps the swollen shoulder from being trapped underneath him.

For a while, that matters more than sleep.

Then Exhaustion Begins Winning

Murphy's eyelids become heavy.

His head lowers.

His neck relaxes.

His body starts swaying.

He catches himself once.