Here in the house we live, father, mother, our son Ludwig, 2 years old, and our bulldog Rudy, almost 9 years old.
In my 7 years as a dog mom to Rudy, I have never been able to understand why people would get rid of their dogs when they had children.
I have always thought that if I were to sell a litter of puppies one day, I would avoid buyers who either had young children or where young children were a possibility in the future.
I have seen far too many examples of how the dog is removed from its family and generally given a lower priority.
During the first year after Ludwig's arrival, boundaries had to be set for Rudy.
It was mainly about giving Ludwig space, not lying on him, not running into him, and not taking food out of his hands.
When Ludwig had passed the age of 1, he was more lively, more solid and needed to move forward in life.
This meant that we had to set limits for him instead of Rudy, and therefore do the complete opposite of what we were used to.
We had to do that when Ludwig thought it was fun to pull Rudy by the tail, tug on his fur, and run him over with strollers/cars.
The victim role was changed in a short time and therefore we really had to be vigilant.
It's hard to be on the edge all the time as parents, but we all have to be here, and now that Rudy can't say when it's not fun anymore, we have to.
It's really hard to prioritize both boys in all situations, but it's been possible most of the time here at home.
At least my beloved boyfriend won't have to leave here just because I have a child.
To those of you who have a dog and maybe a child on the way, I just want to say good luck, because even though all families are different, you will definitely be challenged too!
Before I gave birth, I wrote a letter to myself about what was important in my life and what I wouldn't live without.
Rudy was a big part of that letter, and when times have been tough, the letter has been my go-to, just to put things in perspective and remember that there is certainly room for all of us in the same house.
…and it was Mom!
Bloggers of the week
This blog post is written by Mie Eriksson, who is the lucky owner of a beautiful Old English Bulldog named Rudy. Together with Mie's son, Ludwig, they are active on Instagram with the profile @erikssons_boys
Boundaries for both boys
Here in the house we live, father, mother, our son Ludwig, 2 years old, and our bulldog Rudy, almost 9 years old.
In my 7 years as a dog mom to Rudy, I have never been able to understand why people would get rid of their dogs when they had children.
I have always thought that if I were to sell a litter of puppies one day, I would avoid buyers who either had young children or where young children were a possibility in the future.
I have seen far too many examples of how the dog is removed from its family and generally given a lower priority.
During the first year after Ludwig's arrival, boundaries had to be set for Rudy.
It was mainly about giving Ludwig space, not lying on him, not running into him, and not taking food out of his hands.
When Ludwig had passed the age of 1, he was more lively, more solid and needed to move forward in life.
This meant that we had to set limits for him instead of Rudy, and therefore do the complete opposite of what we were used to.
We had to do that when Ludwig thought it was fun to pull Rudy by the tail, tug on his fur, and run him over with strollers/cars.
The victim role was changed in a short time and therefore we really had to be vigilant.
It's hard to be on the edge all the time as parents, but we all have to be here, and now that Rudy can't say when it's not fun anymore, we have to.
It's really hard to prioritize both boys in all situations, but it's been possible most of the time here at home.
At least my beloved boyfriend won't have to leave here just because I have a child.
To those of you who have a dog and maybe a child on the way, I just want to say good luck, because even though all families are different, you will definitely be challenged too!
Before I gave birth, I wrote a letter to myself about what was important in my life and what I wouldn't live without.
Rudy was a big part of that letter, and when times have been tough, the letter has been my go-to, just to put things in perspective and remember that there is certainly room for all of us in the same house.
…and it was Mom!
Bloggers of the week
This blog post is written by Mie Eriksson, who is the lucky owner of a beautiful Old English Bulldog named Rudy. Together with Mie's son, Ludwig, they are active on Instagram with the profile @erikssons_boys