Who would win in the battle of Dog's Vs. Babies? Certainly the dogs have greater strength and agility, and in many cases they are wiser as well, but sadly for the canines, the babies have a key ally, the parents, and thus they will always prevail. As any parental dog owner can attest, the introduction of a baby into a household can be pretty traumatic for a well loved hound. Shortly before Elsie's birth, our dog, Vidamae, ran off while staying at my cousin's place in outer Brooklyn. She wandered the streets for two days before being picked up by a benovolent high school student. We thought this behavior on Vidamae's part was odd, but a pet-psychic friend of our claimed to have the explanation:
"Vidamae told me she is very nervous about the baby coming," she said. "She's afraid you are going to give her away."
Was it even possible that Vidamae knew Maggie was pregnant? In the weeks after she ran off I did notice a nervous shift in her behavior. She never wanted to be alone. Once Elsie arrived we were very careful to make Vidamae feel included, and I think she appreciated that, but still, she knew there was competition on the scene.
As Elsie gets older and more mobile this dynamic becomes more of an issue. Poor old Vidamae tries to rest on her favorite dog bed and suddenly she is pounced upon by a grubby baby tugging at her ears. We try to keep them apart, but Elsie is fascinated by her furry friend, and for the most part Vidamae has tolerated this, especially when there's bits of food to be gained. I worry though, that the old hound will lose her patience one day, and quite literally snap.
When I was a child my father's faithful hunting dog, Snopes, bit me in the face. I know my dad loved this dog, but with that incident old Snopes had to go. He was given to a fishing guide in Northern Maine and reportedly had a very happy life without us, but still it must have been a hard separation. Later on my dad admitted that they might have kept Snopes if the only danger had been to my sister and I, but Snopes had begun growling at our little playmate friends who came over as well and our parents couldn't risk that.
I recently went over to visit my friend Roger and when I noticed that his dog Harriet looked especially nervous he said, "Oh yeah, Harriet's been afraid of me for two days because I smacked her when she growled at the baby." This was surprising to hear - not that she was afraid, but that Roger had smacked her in the first place. Prior to the baby that dog Harriet had been one of the most pampered pets on the planet. Their refrigerator was covered with pictures of her in silly costumes. Now it's all baby pictures up there and Harriet's thrice daily walks are often delayed by stroller preparation and last minute feedings. It's tough when us parents must make a choice between our four legged best friends and our little progenies. As Vidamae gets older (she's 13) and Elsie gets grabbier, we're going to have to be vigilant. We'd never give up the hound at this point, but they'll likely be some kind of reckoning in our future.
