The Cute Factor

Is there anything cuter than babies and dogs hanging out together?

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law and his new family came to visit us in Savannah, which was tons of fun. John and I were very much looking forward to showing them around the town and doing all the things we love, but we were most excited to hang out with our new Nephew, Liam.

I know that every Aunt says this, but he really is the cutest little man out there. And he and Barksdale took to each other right away. There was a whole lot of staring at eachother, tugging on ears, and lots of drool from both parties.

Even though this was Liam's first time hanging out with a "fericious wolf," there was only one mishap the entire time. At some point, he had reached out and tugged a bit too hard on BD's fur. Barksdale reacted with a sharp bark just to let him know that a boundary had been crossed. John and I hated to see that happen, but the good news is that Liam's parents are super cool and totally understood that it was a natural dog reaction.

And best of all, there was no love lost between the cousins.

Which brings me to the point of my posting today:

When you mix babies and doggies together you get one of two things: either an interaction that is so cute that you can't help but want to take 40 million pictures (see above) OR a recipe for disaster. I'm pretty sure that the main difference between the two is the involvement of the parents in the situation and how much they understand dogs and their boundaries.

As I've mentioned in the past, one of my pack's favorite activities is to go out to Ellis Square in the early evening and watch people having fun in Savannah's newest park. Because of the awesome interactive fountain there, there are usually a good number of kiddies running around and they flock to the dog like a moth to flame. Although we have had many great kids of all ages come over and politely ask to pet the dog before doing so, we've also seen a fair share of hellions run up to him and shove their wet hands into his face for a pet.

I can't help but wince whenever that happens because as wonderful a dog as BD is and as much as he loves kids, there is a "right" and a "wrong" way to pet a dog (as Liam found out first-hand). And the last thing in the world we'd ever want is for Barksdale, or any other doggie out there to hurt someone because he thought he had to defend himself. So, a word to the wise. Be on your guard when you and your pup are at Ellis Square at night--because many parents are not.