Being Pregnant
More Protective Than My Father
When I was pregnant with Jackson, 4 years ago, Red (our labrador) acted like a psycho. The baby wasn’t even here yet, and my dog was absolutely looney.
For a while, I worried about how he would be when the baby finally did arrive, but for the most part, I dismissed his insanity in an attempt to rid Red of his crazy.
Didn’t work.
He went for a couple weeks puking every other day, but I tried to ignore it because labs puke a lot. He did ‘the angry growl’ at people we walked by, not because they were menacing people, but because I thought he was being a psycho. Then, he refused food. Anyone who has a pet will understand the gravity of an animal who refuses food. No bueno.
So, I took him to my vet. I told my vet that Red had just been acting strange, completely unlike his normal self, and I couldn’t figure it out. I mentioned all of his behaviors, the whole not eating thing. Of course Red acted perfectly fine and snuggled right up to the vet, making me look like a total moron.
I realized that my vet was laughing, but not at the dog making me look like a fool. No, no. The vet was laughing at me. I was almost insulted, then he made everything crystal clear to me.
Have there been any recent changes at home?
Well, Paul deployed a few weeks ago.
Does he seem anxious? Jumpy?
Yes! Ugh, it’s so annoying.
(More laughter from the vet.)
Anything else that may be new or out of the ordinary to Red?
Uhhh…
(Vet points at my baby bump.)
OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Red can hear the heartbeat.
WHAT!?!?! I haven’t even heard the heartbeat yet. That’s so not fair.
There you have it folks. When your dog (or any pet? I dunno.) snuggles up to you and lays on your chest, he hears more than just your heart beating.
Marinate on that for a minute.
How nuts must that be for my poor dog?!?! He knows that I’m incubating.
Red follows me not just to the bathroom, but he lays on the floor at my feet as I tinkle. If he wasn’t 80 lbs, I would trip over him constantly because he is under my feet all day long.
The next 6 months are going to be so much fun. I’ve always wanted a bodyguard 24/7. ::side eyes::
Go Back To Being Pregnant
7 Comments
Hailey commented on Sep 28 11 at 11:13 amAt least it’s kind of cute.
Mary B. commented on Sep 28 11 at 12:12 pmHuh, that explains why my parents’ standard poodle Ringo is so obsessed with my belly!
Amanda commented on Sep 28 11 at 12:37 pmMy sister-in-law has a couple of boxers and they were in from out of town to visit not too long ago and the one was completely obsessed with me! If I was sitting anywhere he would try to come over and put his head on my bump! It was the cutest thing ever! He followed me everywhere!
Taz commented on Sep 28 11 at 12:49 pmmy dog had a lot of behavior changes from very early in my pregnancy too! she started getting really upset when it was about to rain or when it was raining. like barking, pacing the house and hiding in my closet. she also is barking at people she hears passing the house, which she never used to do (we live in a city so she was pretty used to it). she’s nine so i was kind of worried she was getting arthritis or that the new behavior was a sign of some health problem. we took her to the vet and the vet told us the same thing! she said that my dog knew i was pregnant based on my scent though- not the heartbeat. i’m so glad to know that she has no health problems and i think it’s really neat that she knows what to expect in a few months!
mybottlesup commented on Sep 28 11 at 12:56 pm@TAZ- yes, the scent is definitely a factor as well. 4 years ago, my vet told me only about the heartbeat, but since then, i’ve done some reading on it and the scent is certainly a participant in the dog’s behavior. when i think about just how much more i sweat with these hormones surging through my body, it’s no wonder that my dog smells me differently now… not to mention a change in pheromones, etc.
Leslie commented on Sep 28 11 at 3:54 pmOne of my cats is going insane since Iv’e become pregnant and the other cat has started escorting me to the bathroom at night. It’s kinda funny but I’m seriously worried that she is going to trip me one of these nights.
Diane commented on Sep 28 11 at 5:30 pmBoth times I’ve been pregnant I swear my shepherd mix knew even before I could take a test. He was like my own personal furry 100lb Clear Blue Easy test.
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