When Daphne was 5 days old we came back home where among other things, I was really worried to see how our two dogs would take the newcomer’s entry.
Our dogs have never hurt anyone, they are good, trusting, friendly dogs but since neither Husband, nor I had any such experience before, we agreed to take it slowly and see how it goes.
Day one our boxer dog, male, 5 y.o., was crazy curious and would literally die if we didn’t allow some quick sniffs of the baby. I wasn’t 100 percent sure I wanted him all that close- he can be really clumsy- and did not allow him to approach too much.
Our cocker/setter dog, female, 10y.o, seemed to get it from the beginning and kind of sniffed the air and kept a distance as if she knew she shouldn’t get too close. I really appreciated it.
A couple of days later, the dogs got used to Daphne’s smell, they saw how our schedule revolved around her, and by month one, we would be comfortable placing the baby on the floor with the dogs around- although I don’t think we did, until later.
They never did anything which could be considered even remotely threatening by a sceptic.
Today, Daphne’s one and a half already and our dogs are a part of her life as much as it is of ours. There are times that she will settle for nothing less than the dogs’ company! She pets them, sits on them, accidentally steps on their tails, gives them part of her food, fruit she finds in the garden. They are a gang, the dogs and the kid. She smiles a big bright smile when she sees them in the morning and enjoys our walks even more when we bring the dogs along.
If part of parenting is teaching your kid to choose its allies and companions in this life, I believe teaching them to appreciate dogs is a good thing to start with.
