Babies: Furry and Otherwise

Pablo, circa 2005

Way back when, in 2005, Durel and I welcomed Pablo into our home.  He has amused us and all of our loved ones since then with his floppy ear, love of carrots, and general panache.  Then, in 2007, we did what all young married couples do:  we got a dog for our dog.  Enter, Lucy.  She has amused us and all of our loved ones since then with her ability to annoy Pablo, penchant for ice cubes, and unending need for petting.  She has also shown her utter dedication to Durel and I.  Her love knows no limits.  Case in point:  She is willing to dress like an elf and do a 5K with my pregnant self.

Then, in 2010, Jack arrived.  We had given some thought to how the dogs would react to a baby's arrival, but, let's face it.  Once you learn that a baby is on the way, the dogs get bumped down the totem pole of the household.

Pablo and Lucy, running the show.

I am pleased to report that Pablo and Lucy are both awesome with Jack.  Pablo likes to give Jack's head a good sniff about once a day.  It's like he's checking to make sure he's still the same baby, that he hasn't been anywhere Pablo didn't know about, and that everything smells okay up there.  Lucy, on the other hand, likes to lick Jack.  Feet, hands, whatever.  Lucy will lick it.  I realize everyone has different comfort levels with these kinds of things, but I let her do it.  My thought process is this:  (1) dogs' mouths are cleaner than ours; and (2) Jack will not be allergic to dogs this way.  Hey, whatever works, right?

Last weekend, Jack was in his swing/throne in the living room, and Lucy approached to give him a sniff and lick.  He is making real connections with grabbing things -- and he looked at her and reached out to touch her.  He got her nose.  Fine; this is Petting 101.  She thought it was terribly exciting and began to lick Jack's hand.  At which point, he thoughtfully and decisively grabbed her tongue, mid-lick, in his fist and SQUEEZED.

My heart stopped for a minute.  Lucy was completely unfazed.  The tail kept wagging; the love continued to flow.  Jack let go; Lucy licked a bit more before she was contented, and then cruised off for a nap in the corner.

My heart started beating again, and swelled with immense pride in my good dogs and my cute baby.

I will say this:  We make a point to do a few things with the dogs.  First, when we enter the house, we always say hi to the dogs first.  We want to make sure they feel loved and not forgotten.  They are members of the family and they deserve attention and priority, too.  Second, any time they interact with Jack, sniff him, or even just walk by him, we praise them for being so good with the baby.  I figure, if they get praised for co-existing with him, they will not only keep doing it, but they will see him as a good thing!  So far, so great.

Hope this finds you well.  I am looking forward to a fun weekend with my family and the babies, both furry and otherwise.

Heather