One of the reasons that we decided to adopt Gracie is that we knew she was great with kids. If you think about how long dogs live, and then you do some very basic math, it’s crazy to adopt a dog that won’t get along with your hypothetical, future children.
Lucky for us, Gracie is even better with LJ than we had expected.
“This is probably a bad idea, but I just can’t help myself.”
“I hear you like chew toys. I love chew toys.”
“Yup, this was definitely a bad idea.”
We’ve always said that Gracie is a great practice dog. She will accept a surprising amount of backwards petting and tail pulling. Small children can learn how to behave around a dog without having to get it perfect the first time. Of course, it still takes a lot of work to teach them what not to do. Otherwise they just learn bad habits and the next dog might not be so friendly.
We are very vigilant about Lilian playing with Gracie, but Gracie will often run right up to her and snuggle up against her. At which point, Lilian is prone towards grabbing at Gracie’s fur and kicking at her. And Gracie… just sits there. Or leans in closer. Because she’s kindof a weird dog. And apparently she’s a bit of a glutton for punishment.
When Lilian starts trying to pluck Gracie into a chihuahua, I grab her hands, redirect them into a nicer petting motion and say, “gentle with the doggie, gentle.” But… she’s not even 10 months old yet. It’s going to be a process. I’m just glad that we have a dog who will put up with it.
I definitely don’t encourage the dog to maneuver herself into kicking range. But I must admit, it’s rather charming.
Oh, I just love them both! And what a fantastic dog for Lilian to grow up with!
Very cute photos. And Gracie seems like a very good “practice” dog indeed.
That center photo is priceless. My dogs would not be so relaxed with a young child. Good dog, Gracie.