Doxies versus Babies- Who knew?

In case you haven't noticed,  I have taken quite a leave of absence from the blogging universe.  My husband and I welcomed a new baby boy into our family in June and to be honest, time has literally flown away.   While being a new mother brings with it a wealth of new experiences and joy,  watching my baby boy forge a bond with my dogs has been a wonderful experience.

With two elderly dachshunds in the household,  certainly we were concerned about acceptance, jealousy, and safety of our son, Jack.    Especially when one of my girls has little dog napoleon complex and rules the house with an iron fist.   Daisy, our happy go lucky mix,  was expected to get along.  Anya, on the other hand, was sixteen years old and yes, a bit nippy.   Let the games begin.

Like most things, what we expected to happen turned in to the exact opposite.   Daisy immediately pouted, changed couches, and was thoroughly disgusted that we brought a baby home.   Anya was curious, but initially- thank goodness- uninterested.    Soon though, we found that Anya liked to lay next to the baby, she liked his blankets,  she was curious about the bottles.   Over the next few months as Daisy continued to ignore him,  Anya  loved him, snuggled him, and lately has tolerated grabbing and kicking with the patience of a saint.   Jack has always been enthralled with Anya; he smiles when he sees her and likes to touch her soft coat.    He seems to already like dogs and is fascinated with the cats at the hospital when he spends his days at work with me.  

Anya, now seventeen, continues to welcome Jack into our family and even Daisy has come around a little bit.  People ask how we did it, how we "trained" the dogs.  I think it was because we were able to genuinely show love for the doxi girls and Jack at the same time- combined with a little bit of luck.   As responsible parents, we always supervise all dachshund/baby interactions but by allowing the relationship between baby and dog to blossom, we have facilitated a friendship that can last forever.   I think as we teach Jack how to love animals, treat them kindly, and view them as part of our family,  we gave Anya an opportunity to welcome a new member of the pack and show her true colors as the best dachshund in the world!