For many families, bringing home a new baby can mean a tough adjustment period for everyone involved. Forget about the way that life turns upside down for you — think about how it turns upside down for your pets! The poor things suddenly have to live with a squirmy, loud thing who doesn’t even pet them… and they can’t understand what’s going on at all. If only we could understand that we still love them, and that one day, this little creature is going to love them just as much, if not more!
But for some pups, it’s love at first sight. It’s impossible to predict, but it’s a beautiful thing to witness when it happens. Some dogs have no trouble at all accepting even the loudest newborn baby into their hearts right away, and the one in this video appears to fall into that category. She was made to be a big sister!
@rosedossantos331“Puppy’s new favorite TV show: Baby in a Crib” #dogtok #puppy #shitzu #baby #crib #laughter #love #sillydog
In this video that Rose Dossantos shared on TikTok on Wednesday, February 28, this sweet Shi-Tzu is sitting on a mat outside of the baby’s crib while the baby is laying inside, just like a little guard dog. Her face is so serious.
Even though her human is talking to her, she doesn’t budge. She barely blinks, and even gives the tiniest tail wag to show that she’s happy. Nothing phases her — not even when the baby boy in question starts cooing loudly.
In a comment, the creator said that the baby is always happy, which probably helped this pup fall in love… but something tells us that this little boy has a friend for life already.
Do dogs feel protective over babies?
You might have noticed that your dog, whether big or small, gets a bit defensive around the people they love, like trying to make sure they’re between you and the door, or growling if someone’s approaching you who they don’t trust. Many dogs feel that way around babies, too, and it all comes down to their natural instinct.
According to what dog behaviorist Alexandra Bassett told the American Kennel Club (AKC), dogs have “a mating drive and den instincts; it’s part of what’s called their ‘pack drive.‘” This means that they want to protect their family, and when they realize that a baby is now part of their family, they will want to protect them, too.
The AKC adds that dogs are able to tell that not only can babies not harm them, but they also easily be harmed, which heightens that protective instinct even more.
Still, it’s important to teach your dog how to behave around the baby, and to treat them gently. This is a very unpredictable time, and anything can happen, so make sure to supervise dogs and babies together. It’s not like you’re going to want to miss one adorable second anyway!
A dog can be a longtime friend to a little one, and watching them grow up together is so sweet.
