We all know that children are easily influenced by others and often try to mimic their behavior, but what happens when this influence comes from dogs?
Well, that’s exactly what Instagram influencer Ashley found out shortly after her daughter, River, was born.
To her surprise, the baby and the 5 German Shepherds took an immediate liking to one another.
They keep doing some of the oddest things to the point where it feels like River is part of their little doggy pack.
The Initial Introduction
When River was born, the mom took the introduction of the new family member to the dogs slowly, wanting to ease them into the whole process.
There was a baby gate up initially and they were only allowed to smell her.
As cute as the interaction was, Ashley didn’t want to put her baby at risk for no reason as she never really had experience with such matters.
However, those fears were soon dispelled when most of them took a liking to her except the one GSD which simply wasn’t a fan of children.
Regardless, she still protects her like one of her own, even if she doesn’t hang out with River as much as the others.
The Skin Puppy
The others, however, took an almost immediate liking to her.
Once she got a few months older and could crawl on her own to explore the world around her, she was allowed to mingle with her furry brothers and sisters.
They accommodated it, a little wary at first, but adapting quickly enough, as did she.
River even started walking on all fours and trying to drink and eat from the same bowls as the German Shepherds were.
It was a barrel of laughs in that household, albeit a bit worrying with the attempts at eating dog food, but nothing too serious.
She even started to carry her toys in her mouth like she saw the dogs do, nuzzling up to the doggies in their crates and leaving the house through the doggy door.
Her behavior ended up with her mother nicknaming her “The skin puppy”.
Thick As Thieves
River and her canine siblings are now inseparable, to the point where they cover for one another.
She even sneaks on over to their crates to let them out now that she’s learned how to operate the handle while they protect her when they all go outside, not letting anyone harm their sister.
It’s a heartwarming story that has touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands, showing that kids and dogs mix well together and can teach one another to be better for it.[1]
I’m sure that we’re all looking forward to seeing how this unique relationship develops.
Until next time, pet parents.
References:
[1] Rebecca P., Robert C., Katarzyna K., Carol J., Kerstin M., Nancy G., Carri W. (February, 2017.), Companion Animals and Child/Adolescent Development: A Systematic Review of the Evidence, DOI
