Gertie and Duke are going to have a younger sibling! It’s not a puppy, though, but a human baby.
You can’t really tell, but the boxers’ bandanas say “Big Sis” and “Big Brother” in October-inspired colors.
I know that Gertie especially finds human babies quite lickable, but it will be interesting (understatement?) to see how the boxers handle this new addition to the family–one that stays in our house, and cries, and requires Mom’s attention! We will find out this fall–I’m due October 3.
Duke has been extra protective of me. He’ll wedge himself between Tom and I if he thinks Tom’s being too rough with me, and his definition of rough includes hugging for a little bit too long, certain dance moves, and other miscellaneous movements. He doesn’t like to go into the doggie daycare room now because he thinks he has to stay with me. And I have to be pretty careful if people try to come up to us during a walk, or if a visitor or service person comes into our yard. Duke is not messing around when it comes to protecting his mama!
Gertie is kind of like, “Whateves!” She trots happily into doggie daycare like usual. I do think she has been extra lovey with me, though. She give me many more kisses than usual, and we cuddle a lot. I imagine she will be put out when my belly gets too big for me to make the lap she likes!
I am a little bit worried because Gertie and Duke are used to getting a lot of attention from me. And while our hearts expand to hold all of our dear ones, time doesn’t expand. I just don’t want Gertie and Duke to feel neglected or unloved, especially during those busy, sleep-deprived first months.
What advice do you have for preparing dogs for the arrival of a baby?
Oh, what wonderful news! Congratulations – I’m so happy for you! I’m only a dog mama so I don’t have any advice for preparing dogs for a baby, but from what I’ve seen in photos, it looks like Gertie and Duke do just fine with kids. And how lucky your child will be to grow up with dogs!
Thanks so much, Laurie! I did accidentally let my seven-month-old nephew grab a hold of Duke’s ear, and his eye area at one point, and Duke just sat there calmly. So that was good. It will be another thing entirely when the baby lives at their house 24-7, so I’ll have to prepare them! And yes, I’m very happy my child will grow up with dogs.
Congrats what great news!!!
Thank you!!!
Congrats – a real human bundle of joy – YAY!!! Have a Wonderful Day:)
Thanks so much!
What wonderful news! Congratulations! Love the picture you’ve used to make your announcement. A great big happy family
I don’t have advice, but I’d love to follow what you learn along the way. My niece is expecting her first in late August and my sister-in-law, the baby’s grandmother, is going to be a primary caregiver. They have three dogs, two of which are quite big. Size isn’t the situation, though, I think the little dog may be the one who has the most problem. We have been talking about this a lot…so I’ll stay tuned. This could be a very good series of informative posts!
Again, many happy times to come! I hope you can continue to blog…although certainly you’ll be juggling quite a bit. LOL! On the other hand, you’ll have tons of writing material
Debra
Thank you, Debra! I will be sure to pass on any advice I receive as my pregnancy progresses, and I do hope to continue blogging even when the baby arrives. So I can share what works for me with the dogs and the baby–and what doesn’t (I’m sure we’ll have some FAILS along the way!).
Congratulations! Gertie and Duke will be great big siblings! I unfortunately have no advice for you but I look forward reading about your experiences with this.
Erik, Amanda, and Bosley
manwomanwestie.blogspot.com
Thanks, Amanda! I think they’ll be good siblings too, but I just don’t want to take anything for granted. I liked your post on the graduation gift idea–the “little nuggets of wisdom”–, so if I get any good nuggets of wisdom about preparing dogs for a baby, I will pass them along!
Congratulations! I know they will love their new member of the family and hope your time till October is healthy and happy!
Thanks, Debra! I saw a post recently about your fairy house in the library, and I need to get down there to see it.
Oh, congratulations!!! We were foster parents for 18 years and had many children coming and going in our home Our boxer Heidi loved every one of them. The only problem we had with her was that she would take the pacifiers. After I bought her some and trained her to go get her passie she never bothered the others. When we wanted her to go get in her chair we would tell her to “go get her passie” she would go find it and go to her chair and stay there with the pacifier in her mouth. She was a wonderful dog with all the children. My guess would be Gertie and Duke fall in love with the new baby. Hugs and nose kisses
Thank you! That’s amazing that you fostered children for 18 years. And I absolutely LOVE that story of Heidi and her “passie.” We’ll see how Gertie and Duke react to all of the baby’s equipment. I’m sure there will be some confusion over toys–Gertie has already had her eye (or rather her nose) on a stuffed giraffe that was gifted to the baby.
Congratulations! What an exciting time for you ALL! When Steven was on his way I used a book called Tell Your Dog You’re Pregnant: An essential guide for dog owners who are expecting a baby. It was really helpful and came with a CD of sounds. Molly (our retriever) took some time to get used to the sounds but the book helped on how to do it. I think the website is http://www.babyandpet.com. Maybe that will help you too.
Congratulations! We don’t have kids (except for Lola) so I have no advice. But I do know several boxers and they’re all super kid friendly, so I think they’ll love their new sibling. What an exciting time!
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Congratulations! I’m so happy for you. The doggies will be fine, you may just have a dog slobbered baby is all. Our boxer, Humphrey, never grew up around kids and yet whenever he met a child he would become extremely gentle with them. They seem to know when to be rough and when to be gentle. Can’t wait to hear more
Congratulations! I remember bringing blankets to the family dogs from the hospital before bringing the baby home. I was told I helps them familiarize themselves with the new family member.