A Boy’s Best Friend

photo credit: M Harris Studios

If you were to knock on our front door, you would probably hear an impressively loud response from our canine security waiting on the other side. Our 115lb German Shepherd and 50lb pitbull mix are the perfect alpha/beta combination. And now our smallest cub has become their pack leader.

When I became pregnant, a few were worried about how our fur babies would react, especially the shepherd. But for myself, not worried in the least bit. Was the dog really going to eat the baby Game of Thrones style? Pshhh getouttahere. I’ve heard of those horror stories, but I knew we wouldn’t be one of them. I predicted quite the opposite: that their innate protective instincts would be put to good use. And I was right. While the baby was still baking in my belly, the shepherd started following me all around the house, sometimes resting his head on my lap.

I remember an episode from Cesar Milan’s Dog Whisperer with a family preparing to
have a baby and worried about the dog’s reaction. He advised to make the baby the pack leader. WTF? He’s the size of one of their chew toys, how could he be the pack leader? As ridiculous as it sounds, it worked. When we brought Chase home, we made sure they knew that the baby was their new master and allowed supervised licks. Whenever he cried, the shepherd would come running, even upstairs where he didn’t belong. When Chase napped in the rocker, he was right nearby.

By the time Chase was rolling around on the floor amongst the tumbles of fur, they had become well acclimated to each other. Some people criticized that the dog slobber wasn’t good for the baby…but studies do show that kids who live with dogs do develop better defense against allergens. And a there are claims that human saliva harbors more bacteria than a dog’s.

Even though we’ve gated his playroom, every now and then his big brothers will sneak in to steal a few kisses and cuddles. And I can’t help but smile. Slober on, boys…slober on.