Gentle giants

When people come to visit and see how massive our dogs are, they begin questioning how they do with our girls.  Do they tolerate the crying well?  Are they protective of the girls?  Are they mean?  Do you ever get worried to leave them in the same room together?  And on, and on.

However, if you stop and watch, you can see just how gentle our dogs are with both girls...  for the most part.  Avery's face is just about eye level with the dogs' tails, so when they are excited, she might get a swish in the face.  And when they're ready to go for a walk, Avery has learned to clear the pathway to the garage because they will come barreling through.  But as far as actual interaction with the girls, we couldn't ask for better dogs.  Not once have they snapped or snarled.  They've never touched a single toy that might be strewn about the floor.  They don't jump up in their faces.  Quite the opposite in fact.  Gunner is the male, lighter-colored dog.  He is very protective of the girls and always has an eye on them.  If one of the girls is crying and we don't get there fast enough, he will come and find us.  You can often find him curled up asleep outside the girls' rooms when they are sleeping.  He loves to play ball with Avery and lay next to Emme on the floor while she plays.  Bailey is the female, darker-colored dog.  Though she is the same age as Gunner, she acts much older and "wiser", if you will.  She usually sits on the other side of the room from the rest of us and watches.  She loves to sit and beg and catch any food the girls may drop.

As Avery gets older, she is able to do more for and with the dogs.  She can get their food and put their bowls down.  She can also throw the ball in the backyard with them.  Maybe because of this, Bailey and Gunner are starting to see her more as one of their "masters" instead of just another body in the house.  We are teaching our girls to respect the dogs and be gentle with them, just as the dogs are with them.  They have had some good times together.