How do the dogs like her?

When Baby Girl was a tiny little thing, this would be one of the first questions that people would ask. The first question was always the obligatory, “Is she sleeping through the night?”

I don’t understand why these two questions were ALWAYS the first. Was it just their feeble attempt to make small talk? Or were people afraid to ask hard and complex questions for fear that I might break down into a bumbling mess of tears and breastmilk? While the breakdown was always possible (I mean seriously, anyone could break down when you’re only getting a few hours of sleep in 2-3 hour intervals), I WAS capable of answering more complex questions.

I allowed people to ask the sleep question and I would even give a polite answer without so much as wincing. With the dog question, however, it was all I could do to hold my tongue and not start yelling at some folks. Yes, I do have a German Shepherd. Yes, he is large. No, he is not mean. In fact, he is quite friendly. My Border Collie Mix is also very friendly. Why would they not like her? Did you think that they were going to attack her as soon as we brought her into the house? Does she look like lunch? I just had to clench my jaw and pray for the strength not to sock the person asking the question in the mouth. I usually gave the polite answer, “the dogs are doing great with her.”

In the words of Bobby Collins– On the inside, I just wanted to say this:

Well, actually, the dogs don’t like her at all. When she cries, they go crazy. They snap and bark at her and just won’t leave her alone. We ALWAYS have to make sure that they are not able to reach her. We’re just afraid that they will eat her.

Would that be wrong? Once?

Don’t you wish you could have just handed them this?

Parent Bloggers Network is hosting a bloggy event to address some of the most annoying questions that you hear while you are pregnant and right after you have a new baby. Stroll on over an check out the other questions and answers!

*Update: By the way, the dogs love her.  And she loves them.  They are such good buddies!