To steal a line from
Forrest Gump, dogs & kids go together like peas & carrots.
8 Month Pic
We have two dogs. Ten is a 6yo male German Short Haired Pointer (65lbs) & Misty is a 2yo female GSP (45lbs). Both are terrific with our 9 month old boy, Luke.
Misty is especially good with Luke and has become his best buddy. The other day Luke (in his high chair) was chowing down on a biter biscuit with all six of his teeth. I noticed Misty was taking an especial interest. Out of the corner of my eye I spied Luke gnawing on the biscuit and then offer Misty a bite. She delicately nipped off a bit, leaving Luke the lion's share. As Luke laughed and started to move the biscuit toward his semi-toothy maw, I let out a "
Nooooooo!" and made a dash for the biscuit...rescuing the biscuit before Luke could gnaw on it some more. Disaster averted. Luke laughed. I guess in addition to being an ambulatory carnival ride, I am also comic relief.
Luke is not the most skilled eater of Cheerios, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he drops a few extra for Ten & Misty to police up.
Also, both Ten & Misty are tolerant of Luke's ham-handed pats. We instruct Luke on the proper way to pet a dog, but his enthusiasm gets the best of him, at times. The most they do is get up & get outta Dodge.
Ten & Misty generally can figure who's toys are who's. Luckily, Luke favors hard or resiliant rubber items to teeth on, while the dogs are partial to their stuffed animals. On occasion Luke will play with one of his stuffed animals & it is entertaining to watch the dogs track Winnie the Pooh through the air as Luke whips Pooh about. Every once in a while they attempt to toy-nap one of Luke's playthings. Luke takes this as an opportunity for tug-o-war. The dogs seem to enjoy it, too.
The dogs help keep Luke entertained and in a happy mood with their antics. Inside, they get all wound up if they see a Bolshevik squirrel on the grounds. Thier whining & fussing about fascinates Luke. If everybody is outside, their constant running, chasing, and dog wrestling does the same.