Miles & The Unicorn

A subject of much speculation before Miles was born was how our dog would behave around the new baby. He is a 4 year old cocker spaniel, very affectionate, calm with family but hyper around guests. We knew he was good with kids, but still, everyone knows the birth of a baby can turn a sweet dog into a rabid monster, right? (Well, I didn't know that, but many other people seem to think so.)

The Unicorn behaved much as I thought he would. He's protective in the sense that he comes running when the baby cries, and he's even more hypervigilant about warding off perceived dangers - like people walking down the street, mommy accidentally kicking a table leg, doorbells on TV even though we have never had a doorbell, and imaginary intruders. Fortunately, Miles seems to have grown so accustomed to his insane barking and howling while still in the womb that these sounds barely phase him now.

The dog does keep a certain distance - he likes to come smell the back of baby's head and will sometimes give it a little lick, but other than that he really does not get in Miles's personal space. Thus far he has left his blankets, gear, and even pacifiers alone when left in easy reach. I thought we had reached a new milestone when I left a small stuffed animal in the bouncy chair overnight and the Unicorn never touched it (he loves to tear apart stuffed dog toys!)... but then when Grandma was visiting, he trotted in carrying the stuffie in his mouth. Still, it was intact, which was a minor miracle of its own.

The only hitch... after all the time we'd spent anticipating keeping the baby and his things safe and protected, we didn't, I'm afraid, put much thought into helping the dog adjust to the baby. When we first got home we let him sniff Miles in the carrier, and then I sat down on the couch with the baby in one arm and petted the Unicorn with the other. That's about all the transitioning we did for him. And it turned out he was very anxious for the first week or so. He wouldn't eat, skipped at least half his meals, and he wouldn't go out to potty until he absolutely couldn't hold it anymore, then he'd do his business as quickly as possible. It was endearing but kind of heartbreaking too. Fortunately after a while he settled in - I think having visitors over too see the baby helped because seeing new people is always a huge treat for him.

I can't wait until Miles is a little older and they can begin to interact. I see many adorable photo opportunities in our future....