As many of you know, we adopted our rescue dog Mister 2 years ago during the super typhoon Mangkhut. When we found out we were pregnant, we were so excited to see whether Mister would notice and how he would react. As expectedly, Mister the goof had zero idea and was still prancing around and jumping on me. He definitely did not act like those insta viral pups who put their paw or face on my belly! During our pregnancy shoot, we had to use treats to get Mister to sniff my belly. One thing we did notice was that Mister became a bit more attentive and affectionate. He would sit closer to us and also followed me EVERYWHERE. However, we are not sure whether this was due to the pregnancy or because we were home all the time due to the pandemic.

Mister is a huge sweetheart, but we were a little nervous about how he would react to an addition to the family. He is used to so much attention from us and we wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t be jealous. He can also be quite mean to other dogs (never humans) and snap at dogs that rub him the wrong way. We did a bunch of research beforehand to try and make the introduction and transition as smooth as possible. Here are some tips that we used:

• Have something from the hospital that smells like the baby to give to your pup: we brought a squeaky toy and a towel for Mister. We put the items on Lex when he was in the hospital and gave them to Mister before he met Lex.
• Give the pup lots of treats and toys: we overloaded Mister with treats, new toys, and positive affirmations. We wanted him to feel extra loved and part of the family amidst this transition.
• Don’t say “no” when the pup gets close to the baby: we didn’t want Mister to have negative associations with Lex so instead of “no” we would distract him with something else to lure him away.
• Praise and reward the pup when he has positive interactions with the baby: whenever Mister sniffed or gave Lex a lick, we showered him with “good boy!” and treats. We wanted him to view Lex as a positive addition to the family.
• Let the baby “give” him a treat: when Lex got a little bigger, we would put treats in Lex’s hands and let him “give” the treat to Mister.

We did all those things and were delighted to see that Mister acted very positively towards Lex. Since we do not have a full time helper, we had put Mister at his favorite pet hotel for the week before my due date. On the day of the introduction, I stayed in the baby room with Lex while Jerry was in the living room. When Mister arrived, Jerry gave him the Lex scented towel and toy to sniff. After Mister had some time to calm down (he’s always super hyped after returning home from the dog hotel), Jerry came into the room to get Lex. We decided it was better for Jerry to hold Lex in case Mister jumped up or got too excited. We allowed Mister to sniff Lex’s feet and gave him lots of positive feedback.

Once again, he’s not the insta viral type of dog that lets the baby lay and snuggle on him, but he was excited and gentle with Lex, which we were more than happy about. He never seemed jealous and was always quite relaxed with Lex being nearby. In the beginning, Mister was a bit turned off by the crying and would leave the room when it happened, but later on he would come and check on Lex when he was upset. We also noticed that Mister would often sleep outside our bedroom (where Lex slept for the first few months), we found out that it was a guarding instinct in dogs and we thought it was so sweet that Mister felt protective over Lex.

As Lex got older, we became a little less strict about Mister getting too close. In the first month, we only allowed Mister to lick his toes. Soon we let him lick his hands and sometimes his face. We don’t openly allow the face, but were not too strict on it when it happened. However, Lex did get a bad tummy once, so we are not allowing face licks anymore (although we’re not sure Mister was the culprit).

As much as we love Mister, it is important to note that we never leave him and Lex together unattended. The only time we do that is when Lex is in his crib and Mister is relaxing on the floor, since Lex is in a contained space. We need to remember that our pets are still animals and having a new baby in the home it is a big change for them. They could feel threatened or jealous and act in an unexpected way. Part of being a responsible owner is to understand our pets and to try to avoid unfortunate situations. As Lex gets older, we will also make sure to teach him how to respect Mister and his space. Often times I see kids approach Mister with shrieks and surprise pats on the bum… that is not ok and every parent should teach their children how to approach and treat dogs (and other animals).

I have noticed that I have become more impatient with Mister ever since Lex was born. I know it is not Mister’s fault but when you’re sleep deprived and busy, Mister’s overeagerness and energy can really get on my nerves. However, even when I’m snappy and do not give him as much attention as I used to, Mister is still as loving and happy as ever. It is something that I am very grateful for.

As Lex becomes more mobile and interactive, we are excited to see how their friendship flourishes. It has always been my dream to have my children and fur babies grow up together and it warms my heart to see it happen before my eyes.