For many expectant parents, a significant worry revolves around how their pets will adapt to a new baby.
Caroline Watkins Caudell, 27, experienced these very fears while pregnant, hoping her two dogs would embrace their new human sibling. Fast forward a few months, and a delightful TikTok video has perfectly captured her dreams coming true, showing her pups’ adorable morning routine with their baby brother. Caudell told Newsweek about her relief when she learned her pups and her baby would be the best of friends.
“Me while pregnant: ‘I hope our dogs like the baby’ … The dogs every morning,” she captioned the video, which shows Caudell’s yellow Labrador named Otis and another companion excitedly rushing to the baby’s crib the moment the door opens. They sniff around while the baby looks utterly content, soaking in the attention.
From Worry to Unconditional Love
Caudell openly shared her initial anxieties.
“My fear about introducing the dogs to the baby was that they would either be jealous and steer clear of him, or that they would like him too much and not know how to be gentle with him,” she said. As Caudell put it, her dogs, both 3 years old, “were our first babies, so I really hoped they would all get along.”
The crucial first meeting, upon returning home from the hospital, was a moment of immense relief.
“Once the baby arrived, we brought him home from the hospital and let them come up and sniff him,” Caudell said. “At first, they hardly even noticed he was there because they were so excited that we were home from the hospital after three days.” But once they registered the new arrival, their demeanor shifted. They were gentle, even a bit hesitant to get too close to him.
That very first night cemented her joy at the new relationship: “That first night we got home from the hospital, Otis, our yellow Labrador, absolutely would not leave mine and the baby’s side,” Caudell said. “He was fascinated with him and kept wanting to lay down next to him wherever he was. It was like he knew he was supposed to protect him.”
A Dream Come True
Now, with her son at 3.5 months old, Caudell said that the bond between the baby and the dogs continues to deepen and delight.
“[Our son] is starting to be much more alert and aware of his surroundings, and he is so entertained by the dogs,” Caudell added. “It is the cutest thing to watch, and it makes me so happy to see how much they all love each other. It is exactly what I hoped and prayed for when I was pregnant.”
Caudell looks forward to many more years of the canines’ companionship with her son.
“Hopefully, they will be around for a while, and I can’t wait to watch how much fun they have playing with our son once he gets a little older,” she said. For Caudell, the experience has reinforced a profound belief: “I truly believe every child should grow up with a loving dog, and I am so thankful that my son gets to grow up with two.”
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