Thursday, May 24, 2007

Squeaker and The Beej


Babies and dogs… who can resist them? But unlike peanut butter and chocolate, they don’t always go great together. Fortunately The Squeaker and Beej are fine.

Initially, we weren’t sure how Beej would take to the idea of babies.

He plays rough and, while he’s not aggressive, his initial reaction to other dogs is to bow up and bare teeth. Of course, after a quick butt sniff and lick of the ears, they’re best friends. Our fear was that Beej would do the same with The Squeaker (not the butt sniffing, the aggression).

During the pregnancy, The Beej became overly protective of us and the house. The house settles and he’s pacing the living room; a car door slams in the night, he’s up and barking at the window; the postman drops mail in the slot, he goes nuts trying to get through the door.

This can be good at keeping the house safe, but bad if he sees a child as a potential danger… well, I love the dog, but if it’s a choice between baby or dog… well, there is no choice, really.

Fortunately, Beej treats The Squeaker like one of his pack. Early on, he gave her a wide birth; keeping his distance, but always watching out for her. In the last 30-45 days, he’s started delicately sniffing around Squeaker, being so bold as to occasionally lay with her.

At two and a half, Beej, with any luck, will live another 12 years. It’ll be a lot fun.