And baby makes four

We have recently had a number of calls about people who are wanting to bring us the dog or cat they own because they are pregnant or just had a baby so I thought I would post up my personal story in hopes of helping others. Note: I promise that not all my posts will have Sam in them, I know I am beginning to sound like a stage mom.

3 years ago my son Sam was born. At the time our home already included Parker, our Border Collie. I know that the books tell you to “prepare the dog or cat” with sounds of baby cries, baby-like dolls and articles of clothing and blankets from the hospital. We were concerned about how Parker would interact with the baby, especially when Sam began to grab at things. So, before Sam was born, I decided to take Parker through basic obedience class so that I knew he would listen to me if I needed him to do something like “drop it,” “go lay down” or “move away from the baby.” The only other thing we did was bring home a blanket from the hospital – but honestly, the dog couldn’t care less and it really didn’t make much of a difference.

Once the baby came home, we made sure Parker smelled him, and we would pet Parker, interacting with him in a very positive way when the baby was around. I wanted to make sure Parker had a positive association with the baby. We had no problems with managing the two, but I will prepare all those pregnant mothers out there – the dog will lack attention sometimes because you are so tired and fatigued, but this is only temporary. Do not make any re-homing moves because you feel the pet isn’t receiving enough attention in the early months. I promise this is short lived. We would put Parker outside to go to the bathroom and many a night forgot him and went up to bed only to have to get up in a moment of panic because we remembered he was still outside. I can’t count the number of times I said, “Where is Parker? Is he inside or out?”

When Sam hit 11 months old he became very mobile, and we used baby gates to keep Parker and Sam separated unless we are able to monitor the interactions. Sam quickly learned not to hit or grab Parker because we stopped him when he tried. Parker grew to love licking Sam’s face to hear him giggle, which is the best sound in the world. One of Sam’s first words was DAW (dog), which I might add was before Mama, and the two are living very happily together now that he is 3. Sam feeds Parker, gives him treats and has told him, NO many a time when he is trying to take food from his hand. We are still very careful to monitor them when they are together, especially when Parker is eating food or a treat. And now there are times when I separate Parker from Sam because I can see Parker getting tired of Sam trying to “chase” him. It wasn’t always easy but honestly, my dog is another child to me and I would never want to raise Sam without a pet in the household.