Bringing Baby Home... to Pets!

There’s been a bit of a baby boom in my life over the last year or so, and most of my friends and family who've had babies (or are now pregnant) also have at least one pet. In preparing for their new arrivals, each of them seemed to have concerns about how their pets would react to a new baby, but there didn’t seem to be many resources immediately available to them for making the pet-baby transition a smooth and safe one. I’ve found Pet Meets Baby: A Guide for Families Bringing Children Home to Pets by the American Humane Association and summed up some of the tips below.

1.     Preparation is key—your pets need time to adjust just like you will, so include them in your baby preparation time while you’re still pregnant. Think about how much time you spend with them now compared to how much time you will once your baby is here, and try to start adjusting accordingly. Increase your quality of time with pets if you must decrease the amount of time with them. On the same note, if you think you won’t be able to give your pets the appropriate amount of exercise or time once the baby comes, consider asking friends, family or a pet-sitter to help out until you can resume your normal pet exercise routine. The thought of making this big change sounds like a difficult one, but it’ll be best for both you and your pets once your baby arrives! 

2.     If you pet has any behavioral issues that you foresee as a problem when the new baby arrives, address is now! Your dog doesn’t listen when you say “no”—sign up for pet training classes. Your cat hates loud noises—introduce a cd with baby noises, starting it low and gradually getting louder as time passes. You get the idea.

3.     Some of us allow pets on couches and beds, but you may want to rethink this habit, especially for larger pets. You don’t want your dog jumping up on the couch where your baby may be laying, as it’s an accident waiting to happen (even though your pet probably means no harm). So break the habit well beforehand to make these areas safer for your baby when the time comes.

A New Year, A New Blog: Thoughts from "Why the Wild Things Are"

It’s a new year, and in setting my new goals I plan to write at least two blogs per month, if not more when time allows. I even have a list of topics to write about, but holidays make life so busy sometimes! I was fortunate to have received a few books related to animals for Christmas that I had asked for, and I began reading one recently. A testament to my eagerness to always learn and to being one of those people who enjoys school, I have been putting my typical penciled stars next to sentences that make me think or that strike an “aha!” moment for me. I’d like to share one today and will pick a few more from the books as I go along to share with you.

The book is called Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children by Gail Melson (2001). Just the introduction is fascinating, chronicling the author’s curiosity to begin researching the roles of animals in children’s lives as a researcher—and this is coming at a time when few people realized the significance of this research and with little to start from. She discusses the many facets of animals as we grow up, but she also brings in the history of animal domestication and pets’ roles throughout history.

One of my stars is by a paragraph that I can easily connect with (and I’m sure many others can, too) and is one of the reasons why I think I have leaned toward the field of animal welfare. “In open-ended, in-depth interviews, many pet-owning children spoke with deep feeling about what their pets mean in their lives… The ties that children forge with their pets are often among the most significant bonds of childhood, as deeply affecting as those with parents, siblings, and friends“ (p. 16-17). She mentions how pets are playmates, keepers of secrets, reassuring in times of stress, and after-school company, among others. I have always felt that my pets played an important role in my growing up and my desire to incorporate them into my career.