My heart also goes out to this hillbilly baby, and while I feel sorry for them, I have to blame his bucktoothed parents. I see many families with young children and large dogs walking around the Highlands, and I never hear of their golden retrievers going all Tatiana (the Tiger) on anyone. This sort of mauling only seems to happen in backwoods rural settings, or occasionally in Louisville's Portland neighborhood. Not to bring up uncomfortable issues about socioeconomic class, but I'd venture to guess that there's a direct correlation between a couple's education level and the probability that their baby will be mauled by wild dogs. But y'all know I'm a snob.
I am the owner of a very large mutt and a very hostile Siamese cat, and I was unsure of what their reactions would be when I brought home a new little bundle around whom everything revolved. And I have to report that they both behaved like champions...Kitty K-Fed deserves extra credit for rising to the occasion. His initial reaction to her was indifference, but as she's gotten mobile, that indifference has turned to fear. He isn't exactly nice to Twinklette in the sense that she can ever play with him; mostly he just runs away before she can pull his tail or put a Bitty Baby bonnet on him. Although yesterday I did witness their first cute moment of playing together when Twinklette waved a wand with long ribbon streamers at a delighted Kitty K-Fed. Our dog can be poked, prodded, stepped on, kicked, or dressed up and she'll return a big kiss on Twinklette's head. It's kind of gross, but I'll take it over a mauling.
I'm pretty sure that when we brought Twinklette home from the hospital, we let them sniff one of her little hats or something (that's what the hospitals recommend), but I also did not ever leave either of them alone with her until they'd proven themselves repeatedly (probably a year or more), and I also made sure (and still do) that when she's sleeping, the door to her room is closed completely so that only those with opposable thumbs can get in. I now know that our dog is a willing playmate and that Kitty K-Fed has the good sense to get the hell away from her if she's chasing him with the doll stroller, so now everyone has free run of whatever space we're playing in. I actually trust our dog to watch her if I'm in the next room, or let me know if something's wrong--she is very loving and caring with Twinklette and also quite protective. And she never minds wearing Bitty Baby's hat.
And now on to the important matter of babymakin'. I actually drank margaritas at a similar time as you, so I think maybe they bring good luck. Cheers to little ones, their canine friends, and adult beverages for future mothers-to-be!
My dad (who knows everything) says that animals can't recognize babies as human until they start toddling around. Thus, they can't be left alone with them. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteDibbs