Cooper loves babies and I have lots of them to share with him. My kids share them with me! He is nervous around them. But the behavior he displays is such that I think you would agree, he really does love them. I have a collection of memories of Cooper and my grandchildren that make me as warm and fuzzy inside as Cooper is on the outside.
This is a recent picture of Lucas
The first baby Cooper ever really got to interact with closely was my grandson Lucas who is now two. When he was a little baby of just a month or two old, my daughter Desiree had come over with Lucas and my oldest grandson Logan. Lucas was cranky for some reason. He had been crying a lot. Cooper didn't understand but it was clear that he wanted the baby to stop crying. He wanted to bark at the baby but I wouldn't allow him to do that. So he laid on the bed next to Lucas, put his head down on his front paws and pondered.
All of a sudden, Cooper's head popped up. He had what he must have thought was a GREAT IDEA. He looked quickly at me then jumped to the floor. He dove into one of his hiding places in the front of Jesse's closet and pulled something out. He launched himself back onto the bed and sat next to Lucas, who was still crying. I couldn't tell what he had in his mouth but I didn't have to wonder long. He gently put his head forward toward the baby and placed a dog treat on the bed next to Lucas. He looked back and forth from the treat to Lucas and when Lucas didn't take it, Cooper nudged it closer to Lucas with his nose. Desiree burst into tears and cried, "What a good boy!". This was the day Cooper won Desiree's heart over. Before this he was just a dog, but this day she saw how different he really is.
Cooper and Dylan napping
He is never sure of how to act with a baby, so by the time my grandson Dylan was born about a year and a half ago, I tried to get him to be more comfortable with a baby. I had Cooper lay down with Dylan while he was napping on the couch. Cooper wasn't sure he like the close quarters, but soon settled down with his head on Dylan's belly and just watched him sleep.
Kyra, my grand-girlie
this picture was taken last summer
One year old Kyra is my only grand daughter. She likes Cooper a lot but is very cautious around him because he moves fast and he can be loud. As the babies get older I allow Cooper to bark around them a little bit now. She is a little startled when he barks so I'm working to get her to tell him to 'be quiet'. Kyra really wants to be able to play tug of war with Cooper like Logan does.
A fairly recent picture of Logan
Logan is six years old, so he's beginning to really develop a good relationship with Cooper. Not having a dog of their own, they don't really have a lot of practice playing well with a dog. Logan is allergic to dogs too. I'm really glad Cooper has hair in stead of fir so Logan gets to play with him. Logan is learning lots of things Cooper likes to do.
Benjamin as a newborn
Can you tell Cooper is nervous?
My youngest grandchild is my grandson Benjamin. Benjamin was at a very motivated stage of his life a few months ago. He could sit with a little help but couldn't crawl. He would reach for things but didn't really have the idea of grasping items yet. He would try to get toys, get frustrated and then yell or cry. Cooper again had the instinct to bark at the baby but this isn't allowed. He started bringing toys to the baby and putting them close enough for the baby to reach. Just as he had with Lucas, he would nudge things closer to the baby to play with.
Cooper was so cute with the babies. Who can resist kids and dogs? Not me! With five grandchildren and Cooper to entertain me, I'm a happy Grammy.
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