Houston, We have a Problem (8/15/2018)

I like to think I have a pretty cute dog. I also like to think I have a pretty cute kid. But I can say with absolute confidence that they would both be even cuter if they liked each other.

When we were preparing for Arabella’s arrival, we hoarded tips from dog-owning friends on how to introduce her to Baxter. We knew Baxter had only child syndrome as evidenced in this pic, one of our last snuggle sessions before Arabella was born:

We thought we did everything right. We sent the receiving blanket home on day one… and every day after (if anyone from the hospital was paying attention, they were probably starting to think we didn’t own any blankets). He seemed to take well to them.

When it was time to go home, I took Arabella in last and acted like nothing was amiss. It was admittedly not the adorable love-filled introduction we had envisioned. Baxter greeted his sister with indifference— then began barking at her carrier as if a stray animal had stowed away in it and hitched a ride into our home. Taking our first family photo- all on the same couch- was a struggle.

In the weeks that followed, he warmed up. He realized that Arabella tasted good— and didn’t mind when he licked her. When she cried, he would bark to let us know. Cute, right? We even got them close enough to get some adorable photos in an adorable “My Big Brother Baxter Wags His Tail” onesie purchased for us by a friend.

Well, apparently the jealousy (hatred?) didn’t diminish quite as much as we thought. We’ve been trying to get them to touch, so Baxter won’t lose his mind when Arabella starts crawling. Enter problem.

The first few times he was tolerant. But the other day? He snapped at her. Back to treating her like a dog in passing on the street. Ugh!

I didn’t think much of it— assuming he was just tired— but today, it happened again. (I should point out he’s not actually touching her when he snaps, so there’s no safety concern… he’s just being antisocial like he tends to be with other dogs).

So yeah… Brooks Baby #1 (Baxter)… officially hates Brooks Baby #2 (Arabella). To Arabella’s credit, she is oblivious and sits there smiling when he nips at her. I think today she may have actually laughed. Oye. I feel like there is potential for this situation to right itself when Arabella begins eating real food that will inevitably end up in Baxter’s belly more than her own. And even more potential when she develops the ability to play fetch. (Baxter is a shameless opportunist). But until then, I guess I’ll be playing mommy in the middle like I did today. This photo was taken shortly after the nipping incident:

Left arm around one baby… right arm around the other. If you have tips on how to get a spoiled puppy to like a new baby, I’d love to hear them! Share in the comments or shoot me a note.