Dr_J's Stinky Pilly! Pillows can have Jetlag too!

Real name or Nickname: Dr_J

Age: 35

Location: Clementi

My chowchow is called: Stinky Pilly

My chowchow is a...: very small Pillow with hardly any cushioning effect.

Number of chowchow years it has lived: 20+ years

History of my chowchow: It's probably the third generation. In its early beginnings, it was plump with cotton but now it's quite flat. I usually take it along when I am travelling overseas since I often have trouble sleeping on unfamiliar beds although I don't like the fact that it smells weirder when it is kept in the suitcase. It also takes time for the old familiar smell to re-manifest again. A case of pillow jetlag, I think. [ED: LOL! Learning a new term everyday]

When was the last time your chowchow had a bath?: My mother takes it out for a sunbath every few days when I am not at home. Every couple of weeks, the pillow case gets washed. It smells the best when there is a balance between no smell and too smelly. Yes, even I myself will take it out for a sunbath when it gets too stinky.

I would love to do a post-mortem of Stinky one day to see what kind of creatures live in the cotton---but only when the other standby, nameless pillow has been successfully seasoned.

My family's relationship with my chowchow: On and off, my mother will try to talk me into giving it up. She keeps saying it's unhygienic. I think it's relative.

For a while in the past, my mother would secretly chuck it into the waste basket in my room when I was not at home. But she probably anticipated the severe reaction from me as she didn't chuck it down the refuse chute. I managed to rescue it intact from the waste basket a few times. Paranoid, I would immediately check whether Stinky was still around as soon as I stepped into the house. Both Stinky and I were traumatised for a while. But those days are over. I hope.

There is another pillow on my bed which is supposed to replace the current. But it has been seasoning there for a few years without any luck in acquiring that familiar smell.

My bed partner's relationship with my chowchow: It's not to be shared. I don't want it contaminated.

Finally, I love my chowchow because…: It has absorbed my smell/pheromones. It helps me, a light sleeper, to sleep.