Kids and dogs – what a combination!

Audrey doesn’t have any pets of her own (she has 4 boys, 4 and under – she is plenty busy!). So one of the things I pride myself on as her boys’ Auntie is giving them an appreciation for dogs.

Her boys see my dogs nearly every day. They have become a part of their lives. They know to be gentle when petting them. The older boys know to make sure the dogs don’t eat any chocolate (just today, William, in a panic, told me, “Janie, I had a piece of chocolate on my gloves from a cookie and Sethy licked it.” I assured him he would be OK with just that tiny bit of chocolate, but it was cute how concerned he was).

Really, I just love seeing the boys forge a relationship with my dogs from an early age. I love seeing William and Alex play ball with Ryder (Seth isn’t too fond of fetching. He’d rather just roll around in the snow or grass)

I love seeing how natural it is for Henry to have big dogs (like 110-lb. Seth) at his eye-level… and how it doesn’t phase him one bit:

And I just love watching Benjamin (incidentally, one of his first words was “puppy”) get an absolute kick out of playing with Ryder on Henry’s little entertainment mat:

I just think it’s so important for kids to gain respect for animals early on. I have had dogs in my life since I was 7 years old, and my life has been so enriched by these relationships. It warms my heart to see Audrey’s boys realizing all the joy dogs bring, courtesy of their big cousins Ryder and Seth!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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2 Comments

  1. 2.24.09
    Chrissy said:

    Those photos are so cute! I agree with you about growing up with an appreciation for dogs, and it’s great that Audrey’s boys and your dogs have each other. 🙂 Having been raised with dogs myself, I always think it’s funny when I run into someone who won’t even approach a dog because they’re not used to them. Our first family dog belonged to my dad before my parents were married, and although she wasn’t always too friendly to strangers and tended to nip at everyone’s heels (we found out later she was part sheepdog!), she was always incredibly protective of me and my brother as babies. There’s nothing like growing up with a dog! 🙂

  2. 2.24.09
    Emily said:

    We count a basset hound and a Great Dane as two of our children (we have two of the fur-less variety, also), and I love the way they have all grown up together. The Great Dane used to position herself sideways across the hall so that no one could walk past my son’s room when he was fussing (made it sort of hard to let him soothe himself to sleep sometimes, but I always knew the minute he woke up!). The basset just knows when any of us need a cuddle, and I’ve found her curled up on the foot of every one of the beds at one time or another when someone has had a bad day.

    Raising dogs and children together is a wonderful thing, whether they’re all “litter mates” or not.

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