Riley has a bed.

He knows how to use it.

During the day, the eight-year-old German Shepherd mix can stretch across the shelter bedding, rest his head on the padded edge, and sleep in a position that looks completely ordinary.

But when Riley becomes tired at night, he often gets back up.

He walks away from the bed.

He goes directly to his water bowl.

Then he lowers his head and begins pushing.

The stainless-steel bowl scrapes several inches across the kennel floor.

Riley pushes again.

Water sloshes over the rim.

He keeps going until the bowl has moved completely away from the circular patch of damp concrete underneath it.

Only then does Riley stop.

He lowers his muzzle.

Presses his nose directly against the cold, wet floor.

And lies down.

Within minutes, his eyes close.

Riley falls asleep with his face exactly where the water bowl had been.

The behavior is strange enough on its own.

But staff discover something even stranger when they quietly return the bowl to its normal position.

Riley wakes.

He looks at the bowl covering his wet spot.

Gets up.

And begins pushing it away all over again.

Riley Isn't Simply Falling Asleep Beside His Water

That distinction becomes obvious quickly.

Dogs sometimes sleep near water bowls because the bowl happens to be close to their preferred resting area.

Riley is doing something much more specific.

He deliberately moves the bowl first.

The location underneath it appears to matter.

If the bowl is already several feet away, Riley investigates the area where it normally sits.

If the floor beneath it is still damp, that is where his nose goes.

The Wettest Part of the Floor Seems to Be What He Wants

When Riley pushes the bowl, a small amount of water usually spills.

That makes the spot even colder and wetter.

He sniffs it.

Sometimes he touches it with his tongue once.

Then he lowers his face.

Not his paws.

Not his chest first.

His muzzle.

Riley presses the front of his nose against the damp concrete and gradually lets the rest of his body settle behind him.

His Bed Can Be Only a Few Feet Away

That is what makes the choice difficult to dismiss as convenience.

The bed is dry.

Soft.

Large enough for him.

Riley uses it at other times.

Yet when he reaches this particular stage of tiredness, he repeatedly abandons it for a patch of wet concrete.

The contrast raises an obvious question.

What does that spot provide that the bed does not?

Temperature Is One Possibility

Concrete generally feels cooler than thick bedding.

Wet concrete can feel cooler still.

A German Shepherd mix has a substantial coat, and some dogs seek cooler surfaces when warm.

If Riley simply prefers a lower temperature for sleeping, moving away from insulated bedding could make sense.

But that explanation needs to fit the details.

Why the exact spot beneath the water bowl?

Why press his muzzle there rather than simply stretch across another cool section of floor?

Those details keep the question open.

His Face May Be the Important Part

Riley does not immediately flatten his entire body onto the wet area.

His nose reaches it first.

His chin follows.

Sometimes much of the rest of his body remains on comparatively dry concrete.