canine behavior

these are our two dogs... bailey and sabre. it is important to note that bailey, the big white bear is my dog, and sabre, the small lap dog is my precious husband's. it should also be noted that these two dogs are the very best of friends and are entertaining to watch play together.

before cooper was born we were curious as to how they would react. i grew up with pyrs and knew that they are excellent with children, very protective and loyal beyond belief, so i wasn't really worried about him being jealous of cooper or hurting him. of course, when we brought cooper home they were very curious and soon settled into their roles. s was very vigilant about watching cooper, he would sit on the couch and keep a watchful eye on him sleeping in his hammock. and any peep he made, and he was very squeaky, would illicit a response from him. he got up in the middle of the night with us, and spent many nights sleeping on the couch with my mom and cooper.

b on the other hand was very aloof. he was the only one in the house who slept through the night. he was curious when cooper squeaked, but not overly concerned by his presence in the house. that is until he was gone. he didn't know what happened or where he went, but he knew it was bad. he tried to absorb our grief and sadness. both dogs were depressed for some time after coopers death.

s would often accompany me into the nursery, but b stayed out. until recently that is......lately b has been coming into the nursery, sniffing every inch of the room and looking in every corner. he even stood on his hind legs to peer into the crib to see if cooper was in there. knowing the mentality and behavior of pyrs, i sure that he thinks it is his fault that cooper is gone, that he somehow didn't do his job and that he lost him.

i am also certain that he knows that i am pregnant again. he has been my constant shadow and nudges me with his nose in the middle of the night to make sure that i am ok. if he is not sleeping on my side of the bed, he is sleeping in front of the nursery. if he could talk, he would tell me in a big booming voice that he will be more vigilant this time around and that he is very excited to meet the bean. as for s, well i am sure that he will be as watchful as ever.

it will be interesting to see how their canine behavior continues to manifest itself over the next few months and once the bean arrives....