As long as my husband and I have been together, we’ve had at least one fur baby. Neither of us could imagine a life or a home without a dog in it. In fact, we’re suspicious of people who “don’t like dogs.”

After four years of revolving our world around “children” with four legs, my husband and I decided to add a child with two legs to the mix. In January, our son was born, and we knew right away that our pack was complete. 

There was some natural trepidation that our fur babies would not get along with and accept the human baby. When I was pregnant someone asked me, “What if the dogs don’t like the baby? Will you get rid of them?” (By the way–don’t ask a pregnant woman this question. Of course, she’s already considered whether or not her dogs would get along with the baby. You don’t need to add to this stress)

At the time, my answer was without hesitation, “Absolutely not.” But now? Well, after actually bringing a newborn into the home and into our family, my perspective has shifted some, and I’ve learned some new things about my animals and about myself.

I don’t love them the same.

This probably the thing that shocked me the most. These pups were my entire world. They slept in my room and in my bed. We planned trips around the dogs, and now, things were just different. I wouldn’t say I loved them “less”, but it feels less intense. The thought of giving them up makes my heart heart, but it doesn’t make me weepy.

Animals feed off our emotions.

I already knew this. One of our dogs, the original of our pack, is a rescue with some “emotional issues.” Her issues mostly pertain to strange men who try to enter our home. Through going to different trainers, my husband and I learned that the more anxious we were, the more anxious she would be. It was the same thing with the baby. So, from day one, we tried to make his presence in our home as natural as possible. We let her (and our other pup) smell him and be around him, and we tried to not be super high strung while still being alert.

Dogs are pack animals.

I think this is important to remember. Within a couple days, our son was just part of the “the pack.” I let them in his room when we did tummy time. They were able to give him small licks. These small, positive interactions just reinforced that he was one of us.

Its okay to not get super cute dog & baby pictures like can be seen on social media

We’ve all seen it: the viral photos of a golden retriever or pit bull curled up around a sleeping infant. Not having these photo-worthy moments does not mean our dogs didn’t love and accept our baby. In fact, we try to teach the dogs (and our son) healthy space and boundaries. They’re never left alone together. If they’re touching, my husband or I am right there. We have some cute pictures of them altogether, but they aren’t “viral” worthy. And that’s more than okay.

Sometimes, rehoming is the best option.  

This might be an unpopular point of view, but I think it is dangerous to think otherwise. If someone asked me now, “What if the dogs don’t like the baby? Will you get rid of them?” My answer would be without hesitation, “Yes.” If it comes down to my son or my dogs, of course I am going to choose my son. Without question. But I would like to clarify that I would not simply “get rid of them.” 

If the dogs reacted poorly when we brought our son home, I would not just pack them up and leave them on the side of the road or outside a shelter. We would seek professional help from a vet and trainer. We would try different interventions. Then, if that did not work, we would look to rehome our fur baby through a local rescue. Sometimes, that is the best option for everyone–including the animal.   Thankfully, that is not our story. And thankfully, our son does not seem to have any aversion (or allergy!) to our dogs, either. 

I imagine there will always be at least one dog in our home, and I imagine that in doing so, we are fostering that same love for animals in our son that my husband and I share.