With much fascination I’ve been watching them in the evening cuddled together among pillows as my husband and I read bedtime stories to our sleepy-eyed band of brothers.
It’s recently become a ritual of sorts. The boys pile up about our laps as we leaf through pages; our puppy girl sidles up to our oldest, resting her head on his lap, somehow strangely confident he won’t wriggle out from underneath her and pounce on her back.
She’s rightfully self-assured, because he’s now past that dogclimbing phase at long last . Most of the time.
A boy and his dog.
It’s been quite the ride thus far– and I’m not only referring to my son’s practicing of equestrian skills on her back when he was learning to wobble about on two legs as she bolted away on her four.
We’d been curious about the so-called baby-meets-dog technique that was explained to us by other young families who’d brought babies home where canines awaited.
More than one person who was parent first to four-legged creatures recommended we introduce our newborn by letting our dog first sniff an item that carried the baby’s scent, such as a hat or burp cloth.
Only then would we gradually introduce the two by slowly allowing our pup to approach him, expressly at a neutral territory such as the foot of our driveway.
Once our pup became accustomed to the scent of our baby’s hat which we’d held out for her to sniff, she familiarized herself quickly when she met him, welcoming him to her wolf pack.
How awestruck she must have been both times we brought home wee babes. How bewildering for our pup that such teeny beings could drastically change our daily routine to which she’d been accustomed for her several years as our only child.
We were fortunate that our dog kept a gentle, patient demeanor with both kiddos.
But teaching them to be as gentle with her was absolutely a work in progress, especially as they grew more closely to her size .
And oh, what progress has been made these past four years as I now watch our 4-year-old gently stroking her ears as she rests comfortably at his toes, tucked among his dinosaur stuffed animals and soccer-motif fleece blankets.
After all, they’re tuckered out from chasing each other throughout the house all evening.
There’s just something about a boy and his dog.
When I first met my husband, I witnessed first-hand the sweet bond between dog and master. My husband– then boyfriend– would walk his dog he’d had from childhood each night while on the phone with me away at college.
His loyal companion was truly man’s best friend, and all these years later we get to witness it all over again with a new generation.
Our boys get a kick out of playing with our dog and practicing commands.
There’s nothing so joyous for them as the satisfaction of tossing a drooly, half-chewed tennis ball into the air for our dog as they shriek, “Fetch!”
To watch our delighted boys bond with their dog and enjoy these simple pleasures is a beautiful thing.
Now that’s fetching, indeed.
— Michelle Cote is the art director of the Journal Tribune. She enjoys cooking, baking, and living room dance-offs with her husband, two boys and a dog. She can be contacted at mcote@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
