So Lucy has been REALLY wonderful with Hailey. Really.
The first few weeks, I think she was just being polite, but then when she realized no one was coming to pick up this hairless new pet- she accepted her new sister and gave up her spot on the bed with only a slight hint resentment.
We've tried really hard to make the transition not so terrible for her. Before Hailey even arrived I let her smell the diapers and clothes... she even ended up getting one of Hailey's toys as her own... I let her spend a lot of time with my nephew when he was in town, trying to adjust her to small hands that often carry snacks... Lee was really good about taking her to the park when he was home with me on FMLA... he even let her catch a pigeon (gross), which usually we let her get just close enough and then we shoo the birds away. Regardless... it still hurts my heart just a little when I see her resign to the couch and heave a heavy sigh because she's not the only child anymore. I guess it just goes to show that even if you give the same amount of attention things will just never be the same for them.
However, Lucy does love Hailey and I know this because every day I walk in the door from work with Hailey, Lucy goes...BONKERS. She jumps and whines until I put the carrier down for her to smell the baby to make sure she came back with all the same parts she left with. A-DORABLE. That makes my heart happy. Whenever I'm nursing Hailey, Lucy always HAS to sit right next to me to make sure no one gets too close...Werlinger girls are very particular about not sharing food... but the biggest change I've noticed is this.... Lucy never ran out the door to meet/bark at people. She would never go past the threshold nor would she stick around if anyone new entered the house, she'd always go hide upstairs. But since the baby has arrived her bark is more ferocious than ever toward strangers (well as ferocious as a 14lb dog could be)... she also bolts out the walkway to see who's coming and if she approves.
Overall, we love that she loves her and we hope that we can teach Hailey to love her GENTLY so she keeps loving her.
The first few weeks, I think she was just being polite, but then when she realized no one was coming to pick up this hairless new pet- she accepted her new sister and gave up her spot on the bed with only a slight hint resentment.
We've tried really hard to make the transition not so terrible for her. Before Hailey even arrived I let her smell the diapers and clothes... she even ended up getting one of Hailey's toys as her own... I let her spend a lot of time with my nephew when he was in town, trying to adjust her to small hands that often carry snacks... Lee was really good about taking her to the park when he was home with me on FMLA... he even let her catch a pigeon (gross), which usually we let her get just close enough and then we shoo the birds away. Regardless... it still hurts my heart just a little when I see her resign to the couch and heave a heavy sigh because she's not the only child anymore. I guess it just goes to show that even if you give the same amount of attention things will just never be the same for them.
However, Lucy does love Hailey and I know this because every day I walk in the door from work with Hailey, Lucy goes...BONKERS. She jumps and whines until I put the carrier down for her to smell the baby to make sure she came back with all the same parts she left with. A-DORABLE. That makes my heart happy. Whenever I'm nursing Hailey, Lucy always HAS to sit right next to me to make sure no one gets too close...Werlinger girls are very particular about not sharing food... but the biggest change I've noticed is this.... Lucy never ran out the door to meet/bark at people. She would never go past the threshold nor would she stick around if anyone new entered the house, she'd always go hide upstairs. But since the baby has arrived her bark is more ferocious than ever toward strangers (well as ferocious as a 14lb dog could be)... she also bolts out the walkway to see who's coming and if she approves.
Overall, we love that she loves her and we hope that we can teach Hailey to love her GENTLY so she keeps loving her.
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