Contrary to what some of you might think, I am not pregnant.  I do baby posts every now and then because I feel like it’s what I know (other than sports and grammar, and I don’t think any of my readers are interested in either of those things).  Anyway . . .

If you have a pet and are pregnant, you might be worried about how your animal will react to a new baby.  I was!  I don’t know if these things would work well for a cat or other animal, but they worked well for our dog, Sabra.

1. Desensitize your pet to the rough handling of babies and toddlers.  This is best to start when you have a puppy: touch the puppy in places where a child most likely will: tail, ears, nose, mouth, and in between their paws.  If you don’t consciously do this, a dog will probably not be touched/pulled/grabbed here, so when a child does it, the dog will snap and react.  So, if you prep the dog enough to where he’s not bothered by it, it should help.
2. Take the dog to places where there are little kids like parks.  The goal is not necessarily to have the dog interact with the kids but to let the dog see how kids act.
3. Let your dog hear baby sounds.  I would watch A Baby Story on TLC and other shows that had babies crying.  Each time the baby would cry, I say to Sabra, “See that’s a baby.  The baby is crying.”  She needed to hear these sounds so she could adjust and wouldn’t be caught off guard by a newborn crying all day.
4. Carry around a baby doll.  Your dog will become familiar with you holding something delicate.  You can let your dog investigate the baby doll, so you can teach him boundaries like, “Don’t lick the baby.  Please don’t scratch her arm.”
5. Let your dog smell the baby.  We had my in-laws take home a baby blanket that had been wrapped around Abigail in the hospital.  They let Sabra become familiar with her smell.
6. Praise the dog for good behavior around the baby.
7. Ask your veterinarian for other tips.

Just because your dog may not act well around certain kids, doesn’t mean the dog will be bad with your child.  When our one year old nephew would come over, Sabra would start to nip at him and herd him when he got near her food.  This really concerned me.

But Sabra is great with Abigail.  Abigail goes near Sabra’s food, touches it, and Sabra doesn’t bat an eye.  They are great friends.  Well, Sabra tolerates her, but Abby ADORES Sabra.  Abigail gives her biggest smiles and laughs because of Sabra, and it makes my heart happy.

Any other tips?

3 Thoughts I had while watching this video:

1. How in the world can a dog walk like that and for so long?
2. How in the world can a dog pee while walking like that?
3. How in the world can a dog pee for that long?

Crazy.

** Today is the last day to enter the YoBaby Giveaway!  I’ll announce the winner tomorrow.  Good luck! **

In honor of the king of pop who was probably the greatest dancer ever, here’s a Walrus dancing to MJ’s song, “Smooth Criminal.”

I so want to go to Sea World or somewhere to see marine animals doing stuff like this.  Anyone ever been to Sea World?  What state?  Or is there some other place like Sea World that you’d recommend?

Just know that I am not a fan of cats.

Not sure what to say about this.  Y’all have comments?

Remember the scene in “Lady in the Tramp” where the dogs share spaghetti?  Well, check this out . . .

You can adopt a pet for FREE on Saturday, January 24!  The first ten adoptions at participating Hill’s partner shelters will cost you nothing on January 24, 2009.  Click here to get the details and find a location near you.

I want one, but Jonathan says, “Bad idea.”  Grrrr.  But we did adopt Sabra, and that has been so beneficial.  Go and save an animal’s life.

Ever since Dunston Checks In, I can’t get enough of monkeys.  They’re amazing.  I wish I had a pet Chimp.

**Also, Happy Birthday to my cousin Katie’s daughter Gretchen!!  She’s two years old today!

This is a video of a South African Safari where you’ll see a fight between lions, water buffalo, and a crocodile.  It’s been called the Battle of Kruger.  The crazy begins at 1:52.  After that, don’t get bored; keep watching to see what happens at 3:24.  Then at 4:24, another new group arrives on the scene.  5:40 is a fun moment.

I’ve always wanted to go to Africa for a safari.  My brother used to live in Togo West Africa, so he was blessed to see several neat animals.  Anyone else been on a safari?