Nanny Dog

Ever since announcing that I was pregnant, people have asked about if I was worried about my dog and my baby.  You see, Libby is a pit bull mix, a misunderstood, but excellent, bully breed dog.  I will admit that before I became involved with the Twin Cities Pet Rescue, I had my reservations about pit bulls.  So much of what I had heard about them was from the news and mostly about dog fighting.  

What a beaut.

My reservations completely dissolved the day I met Libby.  My cousin brought her over to my house (sneaky lady, she is) and once we saw how great she was, told us that she needed to find a new foster family for her so they could get another one.  Ethan was totally in love with Libby, so it was decided, we would take her.  That decision is one of the best we have made.  Libby is such a happy lady, so social and loving.  

I will admit, Libby is the worst guard dog I’ve ever seen.  When someone comes in the door, she goes to greet them with a wiggly butt, a “smile” on her face, and an “I’m so freakin’ excited to see you!” attitude.  Most of the time she will also look around for something to bring to show off, something like a toy, a bone, or a stick.  She brings it so proudly.

Pit bulls used to be nicknamed the “Nanny dog” because they would keep children safe and look after them.  Libby has 100% lived up to this title.  We put Emmett on the floor in our living room (for tummy time, etc) and sometimes we will need to go to another room for something.  Don’t worry, Emmett can’t move too far yet.  When we come back into the room, Libby will be laying next to Emmett on the floor, moving from her comfy dog bed.  She lets Emmett (or other children) pet her, even if it isn’t too gentle.

"I'll look after Emmett, don't worry."

One of my favorite interactions that Libby has had with kids happened in the summer of 2011.  I brought her to one of Ethan’s softball games and there was a 6 year old girl who was very interested in her.  I hadn’t seen Libby with a lot of kids, so I was interested to see what would happen.  This little girl pulled Libby’s hair, tail, and ears.  She even lifted Libby’s upper lip over her nose.  Libby sat there and let this little girl do whatever she wanted, without so much as pulling her head away from the lip-over-the-nose trick.

Am I scared about having a pit bull with my baby?  Heck, no.  Libby is the best dog that Emmett can grow up with, and I can’t wait to see them be best friends.