I long have been known as an “animal person.” Well, maybe that’s how I
see it. Perhaps others would label me as a “crazy cat lady” or a “zoo
keeper.”
I hit a difficult point late last summer when I lost a dog and a cat in just six short weeks. Since then, however, things have stabilized and we have a much more manageable number of one dog and two cats.
I think pets are great for children. It gives them exposure to living creatures and helps them understand and respect all forms of life.
It was cute when my son was an infant just learning to crawl. He would slink over to our German shepherd and just lay on him. It was so cute, I thought I would melt into a puddle of mush.
But lately my harmless infant-turned tiny toddler terror is seriously testing my dog’s patience. Despite my best efforts to get him to use “soft hands” and “be nice,” there still are full run impacts, aggressive bear hugs and full-weight belly flops onto my saint-like puppy.
My living room has gone from a sanctuary for my pets into a WWE cage ring.
I never realized — being a first time parent — that the tenacity of a toddler should never be underestimated. The child can be playing for 45 minutes quietly in the living room as the dog sleep peacefully nearby. I will get up for three minutes to get him a sippy cup of milk and will return to discover him using my unsuspecting puppy as a stepstool to get onto the couch.
Of course, the dog isn’t a total martyr. There’s incentive for him to tolerate the terrible toddlerhood years: food. My son, with his not-yet-fine-tuned motor skills is pretty clumsy when it comes to shoveling things into his mouth — and the dog knows it. He quietly sits near my son’s highchair, eagerly awaiting everything from chicken nuggets to goldfish crackers to spaghetti to fall from the sky.
It’s a literal smorgasbord for the dog, as long as he is patient. And patient he is. Every time I have to gently discipline the baby for being too rough, I have a sharp pang of guilt for the veritable torture I’m putting my dog through.
Maybe it’s because I know he will have to go through this all over again in the next couple of years.
— Sarah Leach is content editor of The Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
I hit a difficult point late last summer when I lost a dog and a cat in just six short weeks. Since then, however, things have stabilized and we have a much more manageable number of one dog and two cats.
I think pets are great for children. It gives them exposure to living creatures and helps them understand and respect all forms of life.
It was cute when my son was an infant just learning to crawl. He would slink over to our German shepherd and just lay on him. It was so cute, I thought I would melt into a puddle of mush.
But lately my harmless infant-turned tiny toddler terror is seriously testing my dog’s patience. Despite my best efforts to get him to use “soft hands” and “be nice,” there still are full run impacts, aggressive bear hugs and full-weight belly flops onto my saint-like puppy.
My living room has gone from a sanctuary for my pets into a WWE cage ring.
I never realized — being a first time parent — that the tenacity of a toddler should never be underestimated. The child can be playing for 45 minutes quietly in the living room as the dog sleep peacefully nearby. I will get up for three minutes to get him a sippy cup of milk and will return to discover him using my unsuspecting puppy as a stepstool to get onto the couch.
Of course, the dog isn’t a total martyr. There’s incentive for him to tolerate the terrible toddlerhood years: food. My son, with his not-yet-fine-tuned motor skills is pretty clumsy when it comes to shoveling things into his mouth — and the dog knows it. He quietly sits near my son’s highchair, eagerly awaiting everything from chicken nuggets to goldfish crackers to spaghetti to fall from the sky.
It’s a literal smorgasbord for the dog, as long as he is patient. And patient he is. Every time I have to gently discipline the baby for being too rough, I have a sharp pang of guilt for the veritable torture I’m putting my dog through.
Maybe it’s because I know he will have to go through this all over again in the next couple of years.
— Sarah Leach is content editor of The Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
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