Sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it? Honestly, between three dogs, two asshole cats, and one rapidly growing and opinionated toddler, life has been on the fast track. I’m just proud of the fact that I’ve managed to keep them all alive. I can tell you, integrating a child into an indoor dog household was a little trickier than I thought. There have been tender moments. There have been crazy moments. There have been moments I have considered becoming a full time alcoholic. But it has always been fun.

The Tender Bits

So, if you read back to any of my blog posts featuring Willow in any way, you will understand that this cat and I have had a rocky relationship. For ten years, we have moved from wariness, to Mexican standoffs, to mutual respect, back to her shitting in my closet. Seriously. In. My. Closet.

From her notorious meows and her proclivity to poop in unexpected and unwelcome places, there have been moments that I understand the person who found out that there is more than one way to skin a cat (joke, people, joke- I would never harm my babies). So imagine my surprise when she began to mellow out during my pregnancy. My SO has been her preferred human for ten years, so you can imagine how disconcerting it was for me. Well, the pregnancy hormones made it so that all the love was fine and welcome, but it was still weird.

Now I understand. It wasn’t me she was obsessing over. It was my son. From the moment he came home, she appointed herself his guardian, protector, etc. Everyone worried- telling me horror stories of how a cat could pose a severe danger to my child (thanks for that, by the way)- but I never worried. To this day, when he is napping, she naps on a pillow next to him. When he sleeps in his crib, she sleeps in his room.

And she never, never, desecrates his closet. That’s how I know she loves him.

The Canine Opinion

My son is adorable, inquisitive, and now, terrifyingly, mobile. No one was more surprised that he became mobile than the dogs. Initially, Thor the Shih Tzu was a little jealous of the new addition. He understood that he was part of the pack and he needed to be protected. But that didn’t change the fact that he was my baby before my actual baby was born. Needless to say, it took him a longer time to adjust than it did for Darla and Spike. Luckily, now his mobility means more opportunities for Thor to lick his ears.

Spike took to him right away, letting my curious son learn how to pet him. He endured pulled ears, nose inspections, less than gentle pats and pets, and the occasional eye poke. Yet he never once growled, snapped, or in any other way showed aggression towards this little person who took away our attention from him. If that isn’t a glowing review of how amazing rescue dogs can be, I don’t know what is.

We did keep Darla at arms length for a while. After all, when your Great Dane thinks she’s the size of a Chihuahua, things can get tricky. But the fact that my son’s third word was “Darla” tells you how much he loves her. He gets a kick when I ask him to help me wipe her down with her doggie wipes. She loves to nuzzle him and appointed herself official diaper sniffer from the start. You have never been judged as a mom until you are judged by a 6 year old Dane who sniffs poop in your son’s diaper. Just sayin’.

The One Whose Opinion is TBA

Tiberious has always been a social cat. He is practically a dog. He will come when called, sit on command, play fetch, and generally get in your face. Especially if you have food. So it was surprising that he is the one furry member of the household who is aloof when it comes to my son. Actually, he’s kind of an asshole. No matter how hard my son tries to play or pet him, Tiberious will saunter or sprint away. He was NOT pleased when my son actually started to follow him. It was comical- one day my son tried to pet him, he moved slightly away and when my son followed him, he jumped and looked at him like he was a rattlesnake.

It’s been quite the journey, and I am going to make more of an effort to update you all on this crazy household’s antics. Until next time, furry fans…