Poppy does not leave her blanket behind when the door opens.

She takes it with her.

The six-year-old Chinese Crested is being treated for a serious skin condition that has left much of her small body without protective hair. Across her back, sides, and legs are areas of exposed skin still undergoing treatment.

Inside the shelter's indoor-outdoor run, Poppy has a bed.

She has blankets.

She has protection from the weather.

Yet staff keep noticing the same thing.

Poppy shivers.

Sometimes the trembling is subtle, beginning along her shoulders.

Other times her entire little body shakes.

Then the door leading to the outdoor portion of the run opens.

Sunlight falls across one section of concrete.

Poppy immediately gets up.

But instead of simply walking outside, she turns back toward her bedding.

She lowers her head.

Grabs one corner of the blanket.

And begins pulling.

A few inches.

Stop.

Another pull.

Stop.

Again.

The blanket slowly travels across the run behind her.

Poppy does not stop until she reaches the bright rectangle of sunlight on the concrete.

Then she drops the fabric.

Steps onto it.

Turns around.

And curls her nearly hairless body into the middle.

Within minutes, Poppy is completely still.

At First, It Looked Like She Was Playing With the Blanket

Dogs drag bedding for all kinds of reasons.

Some rearrange blankets before sleeping.

Some carry fabric around.

Others dig, bunch, or pull bedding until it feels right.

Poppy's behavior initially could have looked like another version of that.

Then the pattern became obvious.

She was not dragging the blanket randomly.

She had a destination.

The sunlight.

Poppy Always Stops in the Brightest Patch

The outdoor run contains more space than the small square she chooses.

Poppy could leave the blanket anywhere.

She doesn't.

When sunlight reaches the concrete, she pulls the fabric toward it.

If the sunny patch has shifted, Poppy's destination shifts too.

She seems to be searching for warmth.

For a dog with so little coat remaining, that makes sense.

But it also raises an important medical question.

Why is Poppy still shivering so much even in a protected shelter environment?

Her Missing Hair Changes How She Experiences the World

A dog's coat does more than change appearance.

Hair provides insulation and creates a barrier between skin and the surrounding environment.