An ode to puppy love

Before G-man's arrival, we had furry, four-legged kids. The boys, Thomas and Timothy, fat, crazy, not fond of change cats. And Tino, quite possibly the neediest dalmatian on the planet. We didn't really know what to expect when a baby joined this dynamic. We'd already seen how the boys reacted when Tino came home. It wasn't pretty and involved a lot of peeing around our house. In fact, Tino is still scared of them as they rolled out the "beat the crap out of you" wagon instead of the welcome wagon and continue to dominate him.

But let's face it, he is bigger and we were more worried about his reactions to G-man than the cats. Peeing and wailing we could deal with. Aggressiveness from a 70lb. jealousy factory could be harder.

We read all sorts of materials on introducing dogs to babies, we bought a CD of baby sounds to get him used to hearing cries and coos. We introduced the new baby things to each pet so they could all get used to sights and sounds. Was it enough?

True to cat form, the boys continued to see themselves as the center of the universe. If G-man was on my lap, they sat on him, viewing him as a speed bump or pillow, not competition or even something interesting. Now that he's bigger, they are a bit more wary of his tail pulling, screeching and lunging. Yet still retreat to their own feline world and try to act like nothing has changed.

For Tino, it's all changed. If I had a Good Sport medal, I would lavish it on him daily. We couldn't have dreamed of how well he'd do, or how much he'd be inconvenienced by our little bundle.

For starters, he freaks out when G-man cries. Still. It's been almost 16 months. He's nervous and tries to hide. The first weeks with the baby, he was so stressed out he scratched himself silly - actually took the skin off his go-to spot. That's calmed down, but he's still unsure about what his role is when G-man is in hysterics. It's so sad to see both of them in distress!

Tino's schedule, once so set, is now a daily crapshoot. When do I walk? When do I go out? Am I going to daycare? Is G-man going to daycare? Will mom be home at all today? Will the gate leading upstairs be open or closed?

If a dog can get a concussion, my boy must have one. G-man has dropped a plastic (yet heavy) piggy bank on his head. Has hit him with a bat. Has thrown numerous books and toys at him. Stepped on him, fallen on him and pulled his tail to the point of doing damage - he couldn't lift it for three days and had to get a cortizone shot to help. Still, he soldiers on.

He has put up with delayed potty breaks when he really needs to go for the sake of not waking the baby on my lap. He hears "move it" all day as he tries to get close to the action but really just trips us up (I call him Captain Underfoot). He patiently fetches the ball that G-man throws 4 inches away while desperately hoping I'll launch one across the yard. He curls up on anything resembling a soft place, only to be told, no, it's the baby's blanket. Meanwhile, the cats lounge on his beds and throw him dare-you looks.

From yogurt on his head to being locked in G-man's room by accident, he takes it all in stride. He's never ruined "people" toys and growled only once (justifiably). He even allows the baby to play with his toys without once claiming his rightful territory. 

What more could a pooch parent ask for? For all of his frustrating habits, the mud tracked in, fur shed and noise like a charging rhino when the baby sleeps, Tino is perfect. His breed may not be good with children, but he is great with G-man.