When we announced we were pregnant there were a few people who asked us, “Are you going to get rid of the dogs?”
Chloe, the Chi-diva.
The thought never occurred to us, actually. We’ve been married for nearly four years now, and we’ve had Chloe for five years, since she was 12 weeks old. We adopted Goldie when she was five and now she’s eight. They’ve been a treasured part of this family for a long time, and we can’t wait to see Evie playing with them, learning how to care for animals, and to treat them with respect. Our pets were a big part of both of our lives growing up and there’s no way we’d deprive Evie of that.
Goldie
Introducing the dogs to the baby is something we gave a lot of thought to. After Evie was born, I brought home a couple of the soiled receiving blankets and placed one in each of their crates. They both had a couple of days to get acquainted with Evie’s scent before we brought her home. The actual introduction was very simple. We chose to it the way we did based upon our knowledge of our dogs temperament and obedience. Their being Chihuahuas didn’t really enter into it. Improperly socialized Chis can be snappy, and there’s no such thing as a minor dog bite on a newborn.
Please don’t do what we did if have any doubts as to your dog(s) obedience and temperament.
I’d love to hear your great baby-met-puppy stories! Be sure to chime in below.
