We’re giving a shout-out to our dog Max today who has been a real trouper regarding this whole baby thing.
Max has his own little history with the baby. While Margaret was pregnant, Max definitely knew something was up. He’d sniff her belly, even rest his head on it. This sometimes meant getting a kick to the jaw while doing so (from in utero Jack, not Margaret), and, in a way, Max was closer to Jack than I was. Jack rarely moved when I was in the room. So Max and Jack had a connection of sorts, and while pregnancy had its topsy-turvy moments, Max’s life didn’t really turn upside down until that day we brought Jack home.
There was a lot of curious sniffing. Maybe some uncertain whines at first, but, overall, a cautious sort of optimism.
Then the crying started.
Yeah, Jack let out an angry cry. I forget if it was a diaper cry or a hunger cry, but Max was a bit startled and unsure what to do. He then settled on what most made sense.
He joined in the howling.
Thankfully this did not become a set trend. Max eventually learned that a crying baby wasn’t something to be too concerned about. We weren’t panicked, so neither should he. He will still occasionally howl along, but only when it’s a particularly lusty caterwauling on Jack’s part.
So how do they get along?
Jack only kind of notices Max. We’ve been introducing them more and more, but Jack is still pretty much focused on being an infant. As he engages more with the world around him, we think he’ll be fascinated by Max. Max, for his part, checks in on the baby every time he comes in from the outside. When we come in from the outside with Jack, he sniffs Jack at the door while still in the car seat. Like most dogs, the sniffing is mostly in the crotchal area… and Jack being in diapers, there’s a lot to sniff. Because Jack hasn’t gotten to the really noxious state of diaperdom yet, there hasn’t been much whining. I’m waiting for the day when Jack is on solid food and his poop changes to something a bit more…fragrant.
I would not be surprised then to see Max try to take the baby outside to bury him.
The only other interaction the two have right now is a bit of licking. That is, Max likes to lick Jack. This apparently is not uncommon behavior for dogs with babies. It’s pretty harmless. We certainly don’t let Max overdo it, but we still acknowledge that this is how dogs interact with pups, and bonding is a good thing.
We do not let Jack lick the dog because…ew.
If there was any kind of cloud cast over this relationship, it’s that I think Max gets a little jealous of the attention give to Jack.
Understandable.
Babies need a lot of care and attention, but up until the moment we brought Jack home, Max was the baby of the family.
Max on an outing.
So we make some extra effort to make sure Max is involved and that he knows he is loved. At least once a week we drop Jack off at grandma’s and we take Max on an outing. We take him for good walks with lots of greenery and then stop for ice cream (he gets a plain cone). In cooler months we may find ourselves, instead, stopping for clamcakes–which he loves.
But it’s hard, sometimes, to see Max sulking on the couch watching us tend to the baby’s needs. We do what we can to make sure Max knows he’s part of the family. We talk to him even as we’re holding Jack. He gets lots of pets. He gets his treats. He gets plenty of opportunities for back yard time.
And as Jack gets older, I firmly believe the two will become the very best of friends. Max is a rescue dog, and we know that his previous family had a couple of children, although I don’t think any were infants at the time. Max likes kids, and kids like Max. It’s all going to be swell once they get to know each other better.
A dog and his boy.
Cheers!
–John
