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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Lindsay,</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">I don’t often post but couldn’t resist your note.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I am a mom to Bogart the basset now
almost 11 years old and two boys that are 7 and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns
= "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:date Year="2002" Day="1"
Month="2">2/1/2</st1:date> years old.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Because I don’t have enough to do at home, I am also a pediatrician by
day! </FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings"><SPAN
style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings">J</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Bogart came first in our house and was a very spoiled baby.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He was three when we brought our first
son home.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Remember dogs are pack
animals and if you include him in with the baby and encourage cuddle time with
you and the baby, Barney will adapt very well to his new pack member.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bogart would often lay next to me when I
was feeding my boys and lay with his head in their lap.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I made a habit of not leaving out any
toys or baby things- which worked real well as the boys got older.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>All I have to do is remind them anything
left out could get chewed and they scamper to clean up (I think I have the best
cleaners and toy put awayers on the block).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As the boys grow up, Bogart has bonded
with them very well.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His favorite
thing to do is run into their rooms in the morning for belly rubs when they wake
up.</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>As for walks, take the stroller with you to practice on walks before the
baby comes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bogart walked very
nicely next to the stroller and everybody loved getting out of the house
(including me!).</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>As my boys got older, I would have them give cookies to Bogart from their
hand.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I encouraged group play
together.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I expect both parties to
be kind to the other and firmly redirect when that doesn’t happen.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have never had a problem with the boys
being too aggressive with the dog. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bogart was only annoyed by baby crying
when it would wake him up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He would
lift his head and look at me with droopy eyes as if to say “Mom, can you go feed
that thing so he’ll be quiet!”</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Bogart loves to bark when I come home or visiters come.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So, when the kids are asleep, I have the
guests call ahead and my husband and I tag team.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He opens the door and lets them in and I
feed Bogart cookies while they walk in.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Then I encourage them to pet him right away and we keep the barking
minimal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This also works if my
husband and I come home after a date and the kids are asleep with a baby
sitter.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I bring dog cookies in my
purse for when I first walk in.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Bogart would rather eat a cookie any day over barking!<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Having said that though, there have been
lots of times that he barks at a delivery and the kids often sleep right thru it
because they are used to it.</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Overall, I love having children and dogs together.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are best friends and since their
positive interactions have been encouraged from day 1, they really enjoy one
another.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In fact, our basset used
to regularly lick the boys as babies- especially once they started eating baby
foods!!</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Sharon Novy</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>PS- Barney is adorable on his dogster
page!!!</FONT></P></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>