Jenn and Jonathan: A Boy and His Dog

I have to admit: I was a little worried about how Oskar would react to MJ. Oskar has been my love, my best friend, my baby for the past four years, and I wasn't quite sure how he was going to take having to be put second in my life.

And, let's be honest, my dog isn't the friendliest. He is a typical wiener dog: fiercely loyal to those in his pack but, boy will you know if he does NOT consider you part of his pack. His protectiveness is one of the things I both love and hate about him. I love that he wants to save me from every dog, stranger, and leaf blowing across the street, but it can be a pain to introduce new friends to him, especially friends with kids, who are often terrified by such a loud bark coming out of such a small package. And yes, let's not mince words: he is not good with kids. He doesn't bite, but he has a very low tolerance for the shenanigans of children--especially when those shenanigans involve yelling, chasing him around, pulling his ears, and yanking on his tail.

Putting all this together, you can see why I was a nervous wreck about bringing a baby into the house. I knew he would never hurt MJ, but I worried that he would be jealous enough to snip at him or have to be kept outside or away from him at all times. I just wanted all my boys to get along.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. From the first time they met . . .

. . . Oskar took an immediate protective vibe over MJ. He was always there, watching us carefully . . .

. . . making sure we didn't hurt him. If MJ cried, Oskar would jump up to alert us (as if we couldn't hear it).

And if MJ was within his reach, he was sure to be covered in kisses. Yes, it was probably just Oskar trying to lick up spit-up, but it's cute anyway.

And it wasn't long before MJ started to take an interest in Oskar, too. But Oskar would usually stay just out of reach, in case those clumsy fingers somehow managed to grab a handful of ear . . .

. . . unless those hands had leftover food on them.

And once MJ started to get mobile, Oskar became his teacher . . .

. . . and his source of entertainment.

Luckily, it seems my fears were unfounded. Matty is in the full-fledged yelling, chasing, ear-pulling, tail-yanking phase . . . and Oskar takes it all in stride. He may have grumpy days and times when he wants to be left alone but, for the most part, MJ gets away with so much more than any other kid EVER would. And sometimes, when he thinks I'm not looking, he's actually even sweet to him . . .