Our dog River is such a knucklehead! He's a 4 year old German Plotthound that we've had since he was about 8 months old. He's so super sweet with the kids! When our youngest was a newborn, you could say 'River! Where's your baby?!' and he'd get so concerned and wouldn't stop looking until he found the baby, then would lay down next to him.
Today, our 2 year old had just woken up from his nap and was just chilling on the couch. Well River wanted to play. He's not allowed on the couch, so he started nosing my son's feet. Roman kind of kicked and giggled. River started nosing him again... Roman kicked back again (not hard). River grabbed Roman's leg in his mouth and gently pulled until Roman's butt was off the couch (so he had to slide off)... once that kiddo was down, it was game on! Those two have been playing 'chase' for the last 40 minutes (they're BOTH going to sleep well tonight!)
I never grew up with dogs, so seeing a dog initiating play with a toddler just tickles me to pieces!! Does your dog play with your kiddos?
that is just too darn cute!!
My Daisy doesn't really "play" with the boys, but she doesn't leave their side very often. She is 8 and she has lupus, so she's not real playful. She insists on climbing the stairs every night to help me tuck them in and again in the am to help wake them :) she adores her boys! She is never very far from them, especially when they are outside.
She is a very big, mellow, lazy, sweet, 100 lb. yellow lab
Oh yes - my daughter will wake up in the middle of the night (she is 5 1/2) just to get the dog to her bed to sleep with her. She's also been known to sleep on the couch if he doesn't go with her, just so she can be near him. He's a yellow lab and it's so sweet.
yes-but their grown children -if our dog accidentally puts a tooth on your skin and you yell ouch-her lower lip quivers! Sweet!
Love your story! Dogs are so awesome and such an integral part of growing up, IMO! I have always had a dog or two (currently have two 95 pound yellow labs...unrelated, but beautiful!) But, I have to say, they prefer to play w/ the 40 year old kid in the house, because he rough houses w/ em and pays most attention to them! LOL! They love the kids, too though...that's the thing about dogs, they love you unconditionally and w/out fail! :)
Great story, R.! Have a great weekend!
love pet stories! & your story rocks! Thanks, R..
every single freakin' night, my 2 80lb dogs chase/fight/play with the 2 1/2 men in the house. They are a riot! As soon as the last daycare kid leaves, the dogs are either released from the back bedrooms or let inside. They run the circle lap of our great room, play chase with other, & try to wrestle with my sons.
My favorite is when my DH jumps over the back of the couch & leaves the dogs standing, looking at me....because they flatout know they are not allowed on the couch! Too funny...
Or when they're nipping, playing rough with the men in the house....& I go & stand in front of whomever they're trying to take down. Not a word out of me, I just stand there.....& the dogs go & lie down. Again, too funny! Not a word out of me & they behave.....& they consider the men their playmates & never listen to them! Love it!
My 24yo son loves kissing his 15yo brother. (totally twisted!) He does this just to piss him off. He'll do it in front of family/friends...& my younger son will come out swinging. The dogs are immediately in on it! So we usually have my younger son pinned to the floor, wrestling with his brother. & then we have the 2 dogs on top of my older son....just nipping the heck out of him, trying to pull him off. Every single freakin' night that my older son is home!
I love having dogs who know which bedroom to run to when I call my sons' names. I love saying "Bosco's out" or any other neighboring dog... & they run to the door closest to that dog's home! I love that they know the sound of each of our vehicles. AND most importantly, I love that I trust them 100% with my daycare kids. One day, I stepped into the yard to pick up a pinecone. The kids followed me in, & our dogs dropped in their tracks & didn't come near us....it was amazing! Not a single word or command....total respect for those kids!
Time to go...we've already had our run-around-the-house event for the night. Time for some dinner for all of us. Thanks for a great story!
That's a great story, R.!
Our German Shepherd plays with our boys every afternoon. I love to watch them play!
We have a pig, too, and he will follow our youngest son all over the yard. He doesn't actually play with him, but the pig LOVES our little boy! :)
OH yeah....
In fact, that's half of why we GOT a dog :) I needed someone who could keep up with my son!!!
Aww, that's so cute! My dogs are older and were already older when DD came along, so they are not much up for playing. DD tries to play with THEM and they look at her like, WTH? They are 10 year old and 14 year old pugs, so at this point in their lives, they are pretty much couch potatoes. A puppy would be much more frisky!
How cute!! I love that story. Your son will have great memories.
We've had dogs all through our relationship. I love my fur babies. My daughter loves them as well. Daughter is 17 now but the dogs have always played with her. One of the Cockers will bring her tennis ball and drop it in your lap. She lives to chase that ball. The toy poodle is spoiled rotten... has no fear whatsoever and he sleeps with her every night.
Yes! My 12 year old Rottie loves on my 6 year old all the time. She gives a specific "Hello" bark and will hit her hand with her nose and nestle her nose into the little ones hand. The dog has put up with the little one quite well through the years.
what a great story lol.
we adopted our Eva when she was about 2-3 and my son was 4. they both had to get used to each other and since she was adopted from a shelter it was a VERY long time before i was comfortable with him "playing" with her or getting in her face - you just never know, you know? (although we chose her because of her sweet, willing-to-please personality)
now a year and a half later they are best buds. my son plays fetch with her which is GREAT because she will do it for hours and my arm gets tired lol. this morning (after i told them to stop running around, they were shaking the house at 6 am!) they were "playing tag" by walking...the dog with her ball in her mouth, and my son "trying" to "run slowly" lol...it was hysterical. they were like partners in crime.
i get so proud when my little five year old says to her firmly, "SIT" and she does! i think it's so great for kids to be around dogs...
i also get a huge kick out of the fact that after 5 years (the cat predates both the dog and the child) my old girl has now become a devoted fixture in my son's bed at night. she used to only sleep on me! *sniff*! but i love that she likes him now - for FIVE YEARS she avoided him like the plague lol. i guess he finally sits still enough for long enough to suit her!
We have a 4, going on 5-month old schnoodle puppy. She is so smart that she already knows that mommy is for cuddles and brothers/daddy are for playing. She will take her squeakies and nudge the guys with them, trying so hard to get them to play. She rarely does that with me - but when it's nap or cuddle (or food) time she goes right to mommy!
Thanks for letting me brag on my baby!
I have a almost 5 year old Catahoula Leopard Dog/Rott Mix named Brooks and he does not play with the kids....he allows the kids to jump all over him and lay on top of him. He will *sometimes* play 'chase' with the kids if they continue to call him over and over again and run past him a few times... basically if they *make* him play but it doesn't last long and on his own he has never instigated play with the lil' kids. The older teenagers try to get him to wrestle all the time and I swear he only does it for them b/c they too *make* him! Ha! He does lay or sit by them or snuggle all of them and loves to get pets from them, he achieves getting love by all of us by coming over and sitting next to us (on the floor) and laying his head in our laps and looking up at us with his big ol' puppy dog eyes! I think my dog is kind of funny...he is so still it's like he is a statue of a dog most of the time, he is the epitome of a 'calm submissive' dog!
~My mom's dog Bo on the other hand is a great player! He plays chase and tag and loves to wrestle and has been taught by my mom to play Hide & Seek, he knows how to be the hider and the seeker and it is adorable!
I LOVE my big dog! I can't imagine what it's gonna be like not to have him one day...makes me so sad just thinking about it!
We have cats....
I love these stories.
My parents have a MASSIVE Black lab/ Newfie mix. He loves everyone and has no idea how huge he is. Visiting is fun because my 5 year old is the neatest toy he could ever ask for. She's not so sure of him, if she could manage to play with only the back half of him she'd be fine. It's all over once that tongue come near her. They have this game I can only describe as "knock over and lay on". She'll shove his hind end and he'll lay down and she'll lay on him, then moments later he'll hip check her to the floor and lay on her legs. Back and forth for hours.
Our 2 year old Jack Russell Hailey plays with my three year old all the time. We adopted her when he was 18 months old and it's almost like they are siblings and have to pick on eachother. She will try and go into his room and wake him up. They even play tug with some of her toys (gross I know but her toys all get washed weekly) and chase each other around the house. She will even nip him for fleas like she is trying to clean him or something. I don't really worry about her hurting him but rather him hurting her. But they both can play pretty rough with each other.
Yes, but she is older now... going on 10, so she is getting more grouchy than anything so we have to limit her exposure to the kids, though she still gets her spurts of puppiness. We've had her since she as 6 months old, and she used to be very playful. She even helped our 6 year old learn to walk when he was young, by him holding her side and she would walk him around the room. Cutest thing.
Yes, absolutely (and thank goodness!) My dog (4 year old beagle mix) will play gentle tug with Henry (21 months old) and Henry also loves to throw him a ball and laugh hysterically as the dog chases it down. Henry also loves to put the leash on the dog and "walk" him around and around the couch. Good little doggie puts up with this nicely :)
awww emmy wants a dog so bad. her dad kept out shiba inu but he doesnt play too much he gets bored rather easily and would rather cath animals. She wants an animal to play with and that sleeps with her so bad...oh and if not a baby brother or sister...lol
My favorite memory was of Andy learning to stand up. He would grab Di and pull himself up. She would sit there looking at me like you had to have more kids?
That sounds absolutely adorable. My dog likes to play with the oldest. They like to wrestle, play chase, play tug of war,etc. She'll initiate play by dropping a toy in his lap or pinning him up against a wall until he has to push her away (thus starting a wrestling match). She also likes to let him walk her (kind of a funny site since on 4 legs, she's bigger than he is standing on 2). But she doesn't do anything quite as cute as yours does.
A-DOR-A-BLE! My boxer never played with my son this way. The most they ever did was kind of chase eachother outside, but my dog never initiated the play. Your story is so cute. Roman and River - best buddies. :)
aaawww I can't wait for River and Grady to get together!!
Yes, Grady plays with the boys! The boxer in him comes out and he jumps up to kiss them when they come home from school. They run and chase each other!
My (2 year old) golden retriever Jack loves to play with the kids. My 6 year old tries to ride him like a horse. My 4 year old has a new "trick" of throwing the ball (yes in the house unfortunately) and giggling when the dog chases it and brings it back to him. The golden we had before Jack used to be so protective of the kids. When my 6 year old was born we would ask him where his baby was and he too would go lay down next to the bassinet. If she cried, I would generally trip over him because he would get to the crib/bassinet before I could.
Charlie (the 1st golden) used to cuddle with the my oldest. He would nudge her to get her to play too. Man I miss that dog!!
