Three Dogs & a Baby

I am a “no animals - ever!” turned dog lover (x3) as well as a mama to a beautiful (almost 10 month old) baby girl. Once Kimber, my daughter, arrived, my husband and I were no longer outnumbered by the boys: Bane, Loki, and Drax.

My husband and I refer to ourselves as “The Kelsey Pack,” and I am often asked/told one or more of the following:

1. What do you do with all those dogs now that you have a baby?

2. Wow, so do the dogs stay outside more now?

3. I’m a neat freak. I could never have so many dogs.

*sigh*

These people are often met with a smirk and an unintentional eye roll (okay, totally intentional), accompanied by suppressed urges to hand out knuckle sandwiches.

For one, “these dogs” were my first babies. All of my mama skills could be credited to my fur kids, for they have taught me patience and have shown my husband and I unconditional love. Having a baby changes the dynamic of our family, yes, but our dogs are still very much a part of this family!

Second, NO the dogs Do NoT StAY oUtSIdE mOrE. They spend just as much time outside as they did before; this did not change after the arrival of our daughter.

Finally, look - my husband is basically married to Monica Gellar. The fact that I *am* a neat freak makes having three dogs so manageable! We squeegee the carpet (though our house is mostly tile) on the reg, vacuum/sweep daily, and we clean our dogs’ paws when they come in from the backyard - among other things. It’s not difficult; besides, we are of the mindset that we make time for those who or things that matter, and our dogs matter!

Additionally, have y’all seen those viral videos and photos of dog and baby bonds!? I mean... it is the best thing on the Internet and my favorite part of scrolling through the socials. From the moment we brought our girl home, our boys were HOOKED. While we were not worried about how our dogs would react, we were surprised by how quickly they seemed to take to her.

Bane, our GSD mix, is our loyal companion. He is the protector. He checks on her when she cries, comes with us to wake her up from naps or get her in the mornings, and likes to give “drive by” kisses.

Loki, our lab/Pitt mix, is the most gentle and patient. He lets her pet him, lean on him, and is often found laying by our feet as we feed her or rock her. To be honest, he is just happy to have another pair of hands to rub his belly.

Drax, our Rottweiler mix, is a gentle giant. Seriously, he’s 120 pounds but doesn’t seem to know it. He and Kimber are the best of friends; he lays down so he is eye level to her and they “talk.” He was her very first laugh.

Our pack is making memories, and we work hard to create and maintain the harmony between our daughter and her fur siblings. It does take time, though, and you have to be intentional about making it work - or else it won’t.

We may be “those crazy dog people,” and people have definitely judged us for how we live our life... but that’s us!

We are so unapologetically the Kelsey Pack.