Got Babies? Get a Dog

March 22, 2011, By 2 comments

Got Babies? Get a Dog

When my wife learned she was pregnant with twins and began worrying about how we would handle two babies at once, I assured her that our yellow Lab, Huey, would make an excellent nanny. We’ll go out to dinner and come home and there Huey will be in his apron fixing bottles for the night ahead and cleaning up after he’s gotten the kids to sleep, I told her. She didn’t think I was funny.

Turns out the joke was on me since she went back to working 80 hours a week when our twins were five-months-old, leaving me at home to be the one in the apron. Huey’s no nanny, but he has been indispensible. If you have infant twins, you need a dog. I don’t know how I’d have done it without one. If you don’t have a dog and already have babies, you’re too late. Dogs are a lot of work, and my bet is you don’t have time for one. But here’s what you’re missing.

I found taking care of kids by myself to be pretty intimidating. It took me a little while to connect with them, feel comfortable handling two at once and finally come up with a schedule that worked for eating, naps, playtime, etc. to reduce the general chaos. Through it all, Huey was there – seeking attention, trying to lick their faces and generally adding an element of annoyance that I really didn’t need. But what he was really good at was clean-up.
 

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Comments (2):

Twinpinions.Com . So true, so true. The first "people" our twin girls laughed at? Our dogs. The kiddos are simply fascinated with watching them and there is no better vacuum in the world. :-) - 04/12/2011
Thomas M. As you read this comment, please keep in mind that I love dogs more than anything else on earth. They are born loving humans, they never hold grudges and are always glad to see you. Most are loyal to a fault and would protect you with their lives Dogs deserve to be treated with affection, but always with respect for their instincts, which are very strong. In my opinion, if you already have a dog and know it extremely well, then introducing a baby into the mix will probably be no problem. But I own (and always have owned) rescue mutts, all of whose habits and reactions were ingrained during puppyhood by previous owners - sometimes good owners, sometimes obviously abusive owners. I just suggest that people remember that dogs don't think like us; they're driven by instincts and can sometimes be unpredictable. For example, a toddler playfully twisting a dog's tail can hurt the dog and trigger a reactive snap or bite, and everyone would feel horrible about that. Just be very careful with the dog/babies/kids scenario and always err on the side of caution. - 03/22/2011

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