Puppy Love
Molly and Autumn hangin' out on the couch
Late last summer when I was still pregnant I told one of my friends that I couldn't imagine loving a being more than I love my dog. Ever since we've had her, we've treated Molly like she was our child. Even before Autumn, I was Mommy and Nathan was Daddy. We were those sickening people who talked to our dogs in baby voices and spoiled her with trips through Wendy's drive through window for a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger.
We knew having a child would be an adjustment for all, but we were particularly interested in how Molly would react. Would she run away when the baby cried? Would she become protective of the baby? Would she poop in the baby's room out of rebellion? None of these things have happened. Molly is still Molly. She hasn't changed at all. Unfortunately for her, our behavior towards her has changed.
Don't get me wrong, we still frequent Wendy's for the occasional Junior Bacon, but we aren't as accommodating as we once were. Gone are the days of tranquil relaxation on the piece of furniture of her choice. Where in the past we would wedge ourselves in whatever available couch space wasn't occupied by dog, we now order Molly to move so that I may have enough room to nurse Autumn. Our games of fetch are less frequent but our irritation with her behavior has increased.
For those of you who know me and have heard my many Molly stories, it won't be a surprise when I say that Molly pulled two whole cooked pork chops off the kitchen counter last weekend and ate them in under two minutes. Nathan had just stepped away from the kitchen for that long, never expecting Molly to be so bold as to pull a stunt like that when we were home. Most of her burglaries occur while we are at work and we come home to torn empty bread bags littering the kitchen floor.
I asked Nathan if he thought this incident was Molly acting out for being so neglected lately. It wasn't out of the ordinary behavior, but it was certainly an escalation of her already irritating bad habit of food theivery. "We need to put her in her place," I said. "She's a dog and she needs to realize that she's a dog. We spoil her to the point that she feels like she's entitled to take whatever she wants." So I issued an edict that there be no more plate licking and excess people food treats in the Noah house.
I feel bad in a way. For all we know, Molly may have no idea that she's not human. Her world has changed so much in these past few weeks, do I really want to take away another thing that makes her happy? After so many years of being treated like a child, is it fair to now start treating her like a dog?
