We had an eight month old visitor the other day. The dogs get along with kids very well because they have been socialized since we first got them as pups. We feel that we are so fortunate that our dogs are gentle and loving towards babies and children. But it is so interesting to see the levels of interest that the dogs possessed towards the baby. Simba (my Shiba) was interested in sniffing her when she first came to the home and once he figured out what she was, he didn't care what she was doing for the rest of the day. So while the baby was playing for the rest of the day Simba stayed in his own place and in his own world, which is typical of his breed and left her alone until she began to eat. Once the baby had some snacks, Simba had his eye NOT on her but on her food! He quickly figured out that she had the tendency to throw or drop her food and he would steal whatever he could. He is a stealthy guy but more importantly he is very patient. He got away with lots of yummy treats.
Onix the Pomeranian was the most interesting of the bunch. He has met many children as well but it seemed as though he exhibited a little jealousy or confusion. When his mommy made baby noises towards the baby Onix was confused and would come over and sniff the baby and his mommy. Once in a while he would even jump in between his mom and the baby. He never showed any signs of aggression. Instead, he wanted to follow the baby around to check her out and understand what exactly she was! ALIEN! RUN!
Ah Buddha bear! The kindest Husky in the world. He is like the big brother who is all up in your grill and will take your toys. He didn't care about her food and would move his head from side to side when the baby cried but he wanted to figure out what made this little girl tick. He licked her fingers a few times and sometimes followed her but what amazes me is that Buddha is so careful around little kids. He realized he was much bigger than the baby so he moved around like a shadow but did follow her nonetheless.
